This holiday season has an especially rich and varied selection of new releases. If you’re looking for gift ideas, here’s a list of Lisa Flynn’s favorites from 2016.

Time for a musical deep dive!

Handel’s Messiah has been a perennial favorite since the oratorio premiered in Dublin in 1742. Like any beloved classic, the work has also been a favorite for composers to adapt. Too Hot to Handel: The Gospel Messiah offers a contemporary, American interpretation of Handel’s original.

Can you imagine a world without the music of Handel, Tchaikovsky, or Britten? These great composers of the past are just a few of many important musical figures who did not identify as heterosexual.