When Francis Poulenc was composing one particular piece, he said he was imagining angels sticking out their tongues and solemn monks playing soccer. The result is the gloriously irreverent "Gloria," for choir and orchestra. Today we'll hear Mariss Jansons and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra perform it in Amsterdam. Plus, the Rose Ensemble returns for some early American Christmas music.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Erich Korngold: Prelude and Serenade from "The Snowman"
Violinist Lajos Farkas with the Northwest German Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Werner Andreas Albert
Mykola Leontovych: "Carol of the Bells"
The Empire Brass
Spivey Hall, Morrow, Georgia
Peter Tchaikovsky: "Danse Arabe" and "Danse Russe" from "The Nutcracker," Op. 71
The Empire Brass
Spivey Hall, Morrow, Georgia
Erno Dohnanyi: "Pastorale"
Pianist Erzsebet Kerek
Theatre, Cambrai, France
Anonymous: "Ecce Virgo"
The Cistercian Monks of Stift Heiligenkreuz
Michel Corrette: Sinfonia No. 6
The Seattle Baroque Orchestra with conductor Ingrid Matthews
Benaroya Hall, Seattle
Francis Poulenc: "Gloria"
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Netherlands Radio Choir with conductor Mariss Jansons and soprano Luba Organosova
The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Traditional (Arranged by Yolanda Kondonassis): "Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella"
Harpist Yolanda Kondonassis
Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul, Minnesota
Hour 2
Jehan Tobourot: "Ding Dong, Merrily on High"
The Baltimore Consort
Traditional: "Christmas Day in da Mornin'"
The Baltimore Consort
Leroy Anderson: "Sleigh Ride"
The Dallas Wind Symphony with conductor Jerry Junkin
Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas
Bela Bartok: Excerpts from "Romanian Christmas Carols," Sz. 57
Pianist Erzsebet Kerek
Theatre, Cambrai, France
Sister Patsy Williamson: "Pretty Home"
The Rose Ensemble
Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul, Minnesota
Traditional: "Give Good Gifts" and "Cold, Frosty Morning"
The Rose Ensemble
Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul, Minnesota
Benjamin Franklin White: "Jordan's Shore"
The Rose Ensemble
Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul, Minnesota
John Playford: "Scotch Cap" and "The Juice of Barley"
The Rose Ensemble
Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul, Minnesota
Daniel Read: "Sherburne"
The Rose Ensemble
Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul, Minnesota
Traditional: "Jesus the Light of the World"
The Rose Ensemble
Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul, Minnesota
Maurice Ravel: "The Valley of the Bells," from "Miroirs"
The Sydney Symphony Orchestra with conductor Matthew Coorey
Opera House, Sydney, Australia
Traditional (Arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams): "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen" and "Coventry Carol"
Cantus
Washington Pavilion of Arts and Sciences, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
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American Public Media’s Performance Today® is America’s most popular classical music radio program and a winner of the 2014 Gabriel Award for artistic achievement. The show is broadcast on hundreds of public radio stations across the country, including at 1 p.m. central weekdays on Minnesota Public Radio. More information about our stations can be found at APM Distribution.
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