Christmas 2009
The best choirs in Britain and where you can hear them…
We ask the country's leading choirmasters to give their inside tip on the finest places to enjoy choral music this Christmas
Music's coldest works
Paul Riley braves the ice, frost and snow with Schubert, Sibelius and co.
Where are they now?
We track down five of the best known choristers of the past and ask them 'What happened next?'
Exclusive interview: Sir David Willcocks
As he turns 90, we talk to the great King's College choirmaster
On Sale Date:
23/11/2009
Issue Number:
213 
On the Cover Disc
Britten: St Nicolas; Howells: Three Carol-Anthems
An early Christmas present this year in the shape of Britten's sparkling cantata depicting the life of St Nicolas. Written for amateur musicians, Britten's St Nicolas employs a dazzling array of colours and textures thanks to its unusual scoring: choir, tenor soloist, strings, piano duet, organ and percussion. The serene, beautiful Carol-Anthems by Herbert Howells provide the perfect contrast.
This issue's BBC Music choices
DISC OF THE MONTH
Bach
The Brandenburg Concertos
English Baroque Soloists/John Eliot Gardiner
'A refreshing new look at the Brandenburg Concertos likely to give lasting pleasure'
CHAMBER
Tchaikovsky • Rachmaninov
Piano Trios
Lang Lang (piano), Vadim Repin (violin), Mischa Maisky (cello)
'Unusually convincing Tchaikovsky by Lang Lang and his team'
CHORAL & SONG
Handel: La Resurrezione
Le Concert d'Astrée/Emmanuelle Haïm
'Emmanuelle Haïm's reading of Handel trumps all rivals'
DVD
El Sistema: Music to Change Life
Paul Smaczny & Maria Stodtmeier
'A film on Venezuela's inspirational education project'
INSTRUMENTAL
perspectives 4
Piano Sonatas by Janácek,
Beethoven & Brahms
Andreas Haefliger
'Andreas Haefliger presents a particularly illuminating recital'
JAZZ
Sun Ra Arkestra Live at the Paradox
Sun Ra Arkestra/Marshall Allen
'A gloriously rumbustious disc from Sun Ra's band'
ORCHESTRAL
Rozsa • Korngold
Violin Concertos
Matthew Trusler (violin); Düsseldorfer Symphoniker/Yasuo Shinozaki
'Matthew Trusler imparts an expressive warmth to Korngold'
OPERA
Verismo
Arias by Puccini, Catalani, Cilea, Giordano, Leoncavallo, Mascagni & Zandonai
Renée Fleming (soprano); Giuseppe Verdi Chorus & SO, Milan/Marco Armiliato
'Renée Fleming sings an imaginative set of verismo arias'
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This month's BBC Music choices
DISC OF THE MONTH
Wagner: Parsifal
Mariinsky Orchestra & Chorus/Valery Gergiev
'Gergiev's reading evokes a rapt quality and an authentic spirituality'
CHAMBER
Ireland: Violin Sonatas Nos 1 & 2; Cello Sonata
Lucy Gould (violin), Alice Neary (cello), Benjamin Frith (piano)
'Ireland's passionate Violin Sonatas are here given splendid advocacy'
CHORAL & SONG
Heggie: Songs
Jake Heggie et al
'Jake Heggie's own fluent piano playing supports world-class singers'
DVD
Brahms • Chopin • Scriabin: Piano works
Vassily Primakov (piano); dir. David Starobin
'Reveals Primakov as a serious artist with fabulous pianistic skills'
INSTRUMENTAL
Louis Couperin: Keyboard suites
Christophe Rousset (harpsichord)
'Rousset plays Louis Couperin with energy and dramatic flair'
JAZZ
Larkin's Jazz
Including Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller
'This four-disc set compiled by Philip Larkin authorities is a gem'
ORCHESTRAL
Bartók: Piano Concertos
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (piano); BBC Philharmonic/Gianandrea Noseda
'Exciting and dynamic accounts of Bartók's Piano Concertos'
OPERA
R Strauss: Scenes from Elektra, Die Frau ohne Schatten & Salome
Atlanta SO/Donald Runnicles
'Christine Brewer sails through these testing Strauss soprano roles'
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