A monumental box set marking the 400th anniversary of Louis Couperin is the only non-holiday item on this week’s list, but it is a hefty one: the project by pianist Jean Rondeau contains 10 CDs as well as a DVD documentary film. The albums following all contain various mixes for the holiday season. A collection of classic carols take on new life with the London Choral Sinfonia; the Miró Quartet releases their very first holiday album; and a collaboration between Voces8, Jocelyn Hagen, and Timothy C. Takach results in a brand-new Christmas oratorio. Tying it all together is a musical re-imagining of the classic story A Christmas Carol from the Skylark Vocal Ensemble.
New Releases Dec 9: The Approaching Holidays
VOCES8
In 2024, the French harpsichordist Jean Rondeau devoted eight months to recording Louis Couperin: The Complete Works. The monumental project features all his works, plus works selected by Jean Rondeau composed by the masters and students of Couperin. “There is something in the music of Louis Couperin that transcends the instrument and proves inspiring in an absolutely unique way,” says Rondeau. The first important member of the influential Couperin dynasty – and uncle to the celebrated François, the deluxe box set (10-CDs and a DVD documentary film) heralds Louis Couperin’s 400th anniversary. Jean Rondeau, who performs on three harpsichords and two church organs, is joined by a distinguished ensemble of instrumentalists and singers.
Skylark Vocal Ensemble’s A Christmas Carol represents the culmination of nearly a decade of innovative storytelling concerts that began in 2016. The original concept for this musical interpretation of A Christmas Carol was developed during the COVID-19 pandemic and first recorded in 2021. Working from Dickens’s original 30,000-word manuscript, Artistic Director Matthew Guard carefully abridged the text to preserve its dramatic essence while creating space for musical interludes. Composer Benedict Sheehan crafted an original score that functions as a “choral movie score,” seamlessly integrating beloved Christmas carols with newly composed musical bridges. The result is a continuous 70-minute concert work that combines elements of classical performance, storytelling, and theatrical presentation. Skylark’s new recording, their second of this work, features narration by acclaimed actor Christine Baranski.
The Miró Quartet’s first holiday album is an assemblage of classical music’s top living composers, each of them contributing an original arrangement of a beloved holiday song. Drawing from diverse traditions and memories of holidays past, the recording also brings together new arrangements of “In Dulci Jubilo” by Clarice Assad; “The First Noël” by Kevin Puts, “Jingle Bells” by Michi Wiancko, “Deck the Halls” by Karl Mitze, “Ma’oz Tzur (Rock of Ages)” by Sam Lipman, “In the Bleak Midwinter” by Alex Berko, “Mother’s Lullaby” by Anna Clyne, “Wexford Carol” by Jeff Scott; “halfspent (lo, how a rose…)” by Gabriel Kahane, “O Come, All Ye Faithful” by Michael Begay, “Dejlig er Den Himmel Blå” by Paola Prestini, “We Three” by Derrick Skye, “Silent Night” by Joel Love, and “Songs of Christmas Past” by Hyung-ki Joo. In curating this album, Miró asked each participating composer to select a piece linked to his or her own heritage and personal associations, yielding an eclectic mix of Medieval melodies, merry holiday classics, Texas fiddle music, West African rhythms, and beyond.
One of the UK’s foremost recording choirs, The London Choral Sinfonia marks its tenth anniversary with On Christmas Night, a festive collection of classic carols in vivid new orchestrations. Led by conductor Michael Waldron, highlights include star treble Malakai Bayoh as soloist in Howard Blake’s “Walking in the Air,” and British soprano Emma Bell singing a new arrangement of “O Holy Night” and Jim Clements’s “Awake Glad Heart!” The instrumental forces of the Sinfonia take center stage in Alec Rowley’s Christmas Suite. New arrangements of seven selections include four by the dynamic conductor/bass/composer Owain Park, artistic director of Gesualdo Six and Chief Conductor designate of the BBC Singers. Additionally, Iain Farrington’s rousing “Nova, nova” receives its world premiere recording.
Composers Jocelyn Hagen and Timothy C. Takach partnered with the VOCES8 Foundation Choir and Orchestra and violinist Jack Liebeck to create and record Rose Ever Blooming, a new 55-minute Christmas oratorio featuring SATB choir, violin solo, and orchestra. The libretto is inspired by Patricia Monaghan’s poetry, featuring twelve poems woven together with traditional Christmas carols as musical touchstones. Rose Ever Blooming honors the role of Mary in the story of Jesus, highlighting the importance of family and the eternally strong bonds between mother and son. The oratorio will be premiered during VOCES8’s LIVE From London online Christmas festival in 2025, and will receive future in-person premiere performances in the U.K. and the U.S.
![MOB_12.18.22_by_ElliotMandel-21[66]-169](https://www.wfmt.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/MOB_12.18.22_by_ElliotMandel-2166-169-600x338.jpg "Holiday Programming on WFMT 2024")
