Poster from the cover of the first edition of "A Christmas Carol"
Cover of the cloth first edition of "A Christmas Carol" (1843)
via Wikimedia Commons
Performance Today®

A Christmas Carol

In "A Christmas Carol," Ebenezer Scrooge not only hates Christmas, he hates generosity itself... at least until three uninvited house-guests demonstrate what greed might cost him. Join us today for a musical retelling of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Hector Berlioz: The Birth of Christ: The Shepherd's Chorus
Boston Pops Orchestra & Tanglewood Festival Chorus | Keith Lockhart, conductor
Album: Holiday Pops
RCA 63252

Leroy Anderson: Sleigh Ride
Boston Pops Orchestra | Keith Lockhart, conductor
Symphony Hall, Boston, MA

Traditional Spanish, arr. Gonzalo Grau: Hacia Belen va una Burra Rin-Rin
Magos Herrera, vocals | The Knights | Eric Jacobsen, conductor
Album: THE KNIGHTS BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Bright Shiny Things 159

Traditional Austrian: Still, Still, Still
Adagio Trio
Album: Winter Gift
Adagio Trio 2

Elizabeth Poston: Jesus Christ the Apple Tree
Spivey Hall Tour Choir | Martha Shaw, conductor
Spivey Hall, Clayton State University, Morrow, GA

Ariel Ramirez: Gloria, from Misa Criolla
St. Olaf Choir | Anton Armstrong, conductor
St Olaf Christmas Festival, Skoglund Auditorium, St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN

Stephen Sondheim: Into the Woods: No One Is Alone
Boston Pops Orchestra | John Williams, conductor
Album: Music of the Night: Pops on Broadway 1990
Sony 45567

Claude Thornhill: Snowfall
Boston Pops Orchestra | John Williams, conductor
Album: Swing, Swing, Swing
Philips 412626

Richard Matheson: I Wish It Could Be Christmas Forever
Guy Campion and Mario Vachon, pianos
Album: Noel Pianissimo
Analektra 9818

Traditional: Jul, Jul
WDR Chorus | Stefan Parkman, conductor
Philharmonie, Cologne, Germany

Carlos Salzedo: 4 Short Fantasies
Xavier de Maistre, harp
Album: Christmas Harp
Sony 88463

Paul Salerni: Bethlehem Carol
Houston Chamber Choir | Robert Simpson, conductor
Houston Chamber Choir, Chapel of the Villa de Matel, Houston, TX

John Francis Wade: O Come, All Ye Faithful
Stavanger Symphony Orchestra | Lars-Thomas Holm, conductor
Stavanger Concert Hall, Fartein Valen Hall (Main Hall), Norway

Traditional, arr. Bernhard Severin Ingemann: Beautiful Savior
Trio Medieval | Stavanger Symphony Orchestra | Lars-Thomas Holm, conductor
Stavanger Concert Hall, Fartein Valen Hall (Main Hall), Norway

Hour 2

Traditional: Cold Frosty Morning/Old Christmas/Breakin' Up Christmas
Apollo's Fire Baroque Orchestra | Jeannette Sorrell, conductor
Album: Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain: An Irish-Appalachian Celebration
Avie 2396

John Jacob Niles: I Wonder As I Wander
Kirkmount: Alex Bigney, harp and bones | Samuel Bigney, fiddle | Simeon Bigney, cello and bodhran
Album: Mittens for Christmas
Dorian 93236

Georgy Sviridov: Molitva ("Prayer")
Chanticleer | Kory Reid, conductor
Concerts at St. Ignatius, Church of St Ignatius Loyola, New York, NY

Jaakko Mäntyjärvi: Die Stimme des Kindes
Chanticleer | Kory Reid, conductor
Concerts at St. Ignatius, Church of St Ignatius Loyola, New York, NY

Ralph Vaughan Williams: Wassail Song from "Two Songs of Winter"
Judy Mason, piano | Spivey Hall Children's Choir | Martha Shaw, conductor
Spivey Hall, Clayton State University, Morrow, GA

Traditional: Child in a Manger/ Gloucestershire Wassail
Kirkmount: Alex Bigney, harp and bones | Samuel Bigney, fiddle | Simeon Bigney, cello and bodhran
Album: Mittens for Christmas
Dorian 93236

Traditional German: While by My Sheep (Als ich bei meinen Schafen)
Blake Eliason, Beth VanDam, James VanDam, soloists | Salt Lake Children's Choir | Ralph Woodward, conductor
Salt Lake Children's Choir, Cathedral of the Madeleine, Salt Lake City, UT

Traditional French: Il Est Ne / Masters in This Hall / Noel
Adagio Trio
Album: Winter Gift
Adagio Trio 2

Traditional, arr. David Wilcocks: Sweet was the Song the Virgin Sang
Choir of King's College, Cambridge | David Willcocks, conductor
Album: On Christmas Night
London/Decca 425499

Traditional: Maria durch ein Dornwald ging
Uppsala Academic Chamber Choir | Stefan Parkman, conductor
Album: Winter Sounds
Footprint 85

Harold Darke, arr. Ken Gist: In the Bleak Midwinter
Adagio Trio
Album: Winter Gift
Adagio Trio 2

Alan Silvestri: A Christmas Carol: I'm Still Here from the film
Hollywood Studio Symphony Orchestra
Album: A Christmas Carol Original Soundtrack
Walt Disney 49208

Alan Silvestri: A Christmas Carol: Ride On My Good Man from the film
Hollywood Studio Symphony Orchestra
Album: A Christmas Carol Original Soundtrack
Walt Disney 49208

Vijay Singh: A Glimpse of Snow and Evergreen
Oregon Chorale | Jason Sabino, conductor
Album: A Glimpse of Snow and Evergreen
SELF PROD

Love the music?

Donate by phone
1-800-562-8440

Show your support by making a gift to YourClassical.

Each day, we’re here for you with thoughtful streams that set the tone for your day – not to mention the stories and programs that inspire you to new discovery and help you explore the music you love.

YourClassical is available for free, because we are listener-supported public media. Take a moment to make your gift today.

More Ways to Give

Your Donation

$5/month
$10/month
$15/month
$20/month
$

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

VIEW ALL EPISODES

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

Clarice Assad: Total Eclipse

Clarice Assad: Total Eclipse

Last year, a total solar eclipse was visible in parts of our country. The shared experience of an eclipse—an extraordinary moment of wonder and awe—inspired composer and pianist Clarice Assad to create a new piece for piano and orchestra. Join us today for a musical exploration of light and darkness: "Total Eclipse" by Clarice Assad.

1:59:00
Considering Matthew Shepard

Considering Matthew Shepard

In 2016, Craig Hella Johnson wrote an oratorio about Matthew Shepard, a young gay man from Wyoming who was murdered in a hate crime in 1998. The oratorio urges all of us to find our shared humanity—the threads that connect us—to see if love can be found even in the darkest moments. Tune in today for "Considering Matthew Shepard" by Craig Hella Johnson.

1:59:00
PT Weekend: Optimism in dark times

PT Weekend: Optimism in dark times

In 1944, during the height of World War II, Sergei Prokofiev composed a piece intended “…to sing the praises of the free and happy man.” It’s an optimistic work created during a time of darkness. On today's show, we'll hear the opening movement of Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 performed by the National Orchestral Institute (NOI) Philharmonic and conductor Joseph Young at a concert in College Park, Maryland.

1:59:00
Yuja Wang and the Vienna Philharmonic in Paris

Yuja Wang and the Vienna Philharmonic in Paris

It was arguably the biggest classical music event of 2025: a gala concert in Paris celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Opera Garnier venue. We'll take you there to hear the Vienna Philharmonic and pianist Yuja Wang perform the opening movement of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1.

1:59:00
Malek Jandali

Malek Jandali

The Syrian Civil War has devastated more than lives, homes, and communities. With all that has been lost, Syrian-American composer Malek Jandali feels an imperative to preserve and share traditional Syrian music. On today's show, we'll hear a piece full of traditional Syrian styles and themes: the Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra by Malek Jandali.

1:59:00
Prokofiev's optimism in a dark time

Prokofiev's optimism in a dark time

In 1944, during the height of World War II, Sergei Prokofiev composed a piece intended “…to sing the praises of the free and happy man.” It’s an optimistic work created during a time of darkness. On today's show, we'll hear the opening movement of Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 performed by the National Orchestral Institute (NOI) Philharmonic and conductor Joseph Young at a concert in College Park, Maryland.

1:59:00
The intersection of classical and jazz

The intersection of classical and jazz

Nikolai Kapustin’s compositions are filled with joyful syncopations. Some listeners have referred to him as a jazz pianist; however, Kapustin stressed that he was a classically trained composer who simply loved jazz. Today’s show will feature Kapustin’s music at the intersection of classical and jazz.

1:59:00
Sibelius

Sibelius

Everyone responds differently to a particular musical work. A close friend of Jean Sibelius described his Symphony No. 2 as "the most broken-hearted protest against all the injustice that now threatens to deprive the sun of its light and our flowers of their scent." That was one person's interpretation. What's yours? On today's show, join us at a concert in Taipei to hear Sibelius's Symphony No. 2.

1:59:00
PT Weekend: Vienna's Golden Hall

PT Weekend: Vienna's Golden Hall

How does a renowned concert hall influence the sound of an orchestra? Listen and discover as the Vienna Philharmonic performs Brahms' magnificent Double Concerto live from Vienna's Musikverein, a venue that highlights the interaction between soloists and the orchestra. Join us today to experience the sound of the Vienna Philharmonic performing at their iconic home venue, the Musikverein.

1:59:00
Tchaikovsky at the Elbphilharmonie

Tchaikovsky at the Elbphilharmonie

The acoustics of a concert hall can profoundly shape the sound of an orchestra, for better or for worse. On today's program, we’ll take you to the stunning Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg to hear Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4, performed by the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra under the direction of conductor Alan Gilbert.

1:59:00
VIEW ALL EPISODES

About Performance Today®

To find a station near you on our Stations Listings page, click here.

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.

Performance Today® features live concert recordings that can’t be heard anywhere else, highlights from new album releases, and in-studio performances and interviews. Performance Today® is based at the APM studios in St. Paul, Minnesota, but is frequently on the road, with special programs broadcast from festivals and public radio stations around the country. Also, each Wednesday, composer Bruce Adolphe joins host Fred Child for a classical musical game and listener favorite: the Piano Puzzler.

How do I leave a comment?

Send us a comment here.

About Performance Today®
YourClassical Radio
0:00
0:00