Good morning!
This weekend, I was on a video call with my family, who asked, "What time does the sun set today?"
"Probably 4:30," I said, and then checked my weather app, only to discover that the sun would actually set at 4:12pm. This is the part of winter I like the least — each day a little darker than the one that came before. It's no wonder, then, that so many of our winter holidays are celebrations of light. It's even less of a wonder that those celebrations, lit by flickering candles or brightly-colored bulbs, are also times of gathering and community, and most importantly for this newsletter, of song.
So many of my glowing holiday memories center around music: caroling parties, with friends and family crowded around a piano; outings to the Holiday Pops, or to A Christmas Celtic Sojourn; evenings curled up at home with a good book and a mug of something warm, a Nat King Cole CD playing in the other room. In these dark and cold midwinter days, music keeps us warm — or, at risk of sounding corny as all get-out, at least it warms our hearts.
With that in mind, it's high time to turn on some holiday tunes! You can find all of our holiday music programming here, including our three 24/7 holiday music streams: Heavenly Holiday Classics, Perfect Holiday Party Soundtrack, and Ultimate Holiday Classical Mix. A neat trick: you can play the holiday streams on your smart speaker, too! Here's how.
What else is happening at CRB? Read on!
EVENTS
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
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Saturday, November 23, 2024 at 7:00pm, in an encore broadcast, Music Director Andris Nelsons leads the Boston Symphony in a dazzling works by Liszt, Wagner, and Anna Clyne, culminating in Scriabin's "Prometheus, Poem of Fire," with pianist Yefim Bronfman.
WCRB IN CONCERT
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On WCRB In Concert with GBH Music, the Boston Symphony Chamber Players celebrate Serge Koussevitzky's 150th birthday with a program saluting the former BSO Music Director's profound impact on the music of his time.
THE BACH HOUR
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On The Bach Hour, Masaaki Suzuki leads music rooted in a warm and inviting divine presence, and Seiji Ozawa conducts the Boston Symphony in an extroverted orchestration of the composer's "St. Anne" Prelude and Fugue. -
On The Bach Hour, Ton Koopman conducts music that reflects both the inspiration and defiance of the composer's community, and the American Bach Soloists perform the Brandenburg Concerto No. 1.
BLOG
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The '24s have been very good years for classical pieces that became top hits of the day! -
A musical melange as varied as the leaves I still need to rake off the lawn, just for you in this month's Instant Replay. -
Matthew Guard, Artistic Director of the Boston-based vocal ensemble, talks about their new album, "Clear Voices in the Dark," the monumental challenge of recording Poulenc's "Figure Humaine," and music as a human reaction to violence.
ONE LAST THING
The Note is always free, but this week, it's even freer — we're sharing it online so you can share it with your friends! If you've read this far, first of all, thank you; second of all, share this link on social media so your friends know they can subscribe here.
Have a great week! I'll talk to you soon.
Kendall Todd