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Fill your morning with gentle festive classical music

Calming and festive classical music to inspire focus and set you up Christmas. Presented by broadcaster, author and counselling psychologist Dr Sian Williams.

Calming and festive classical music to help you focus and set you up for Christmas. Presented by broadcaster, author and counselling psychologist Dr Sian Williams.

Featuring soothing stocking fillers from Hilary Campbell, Percy Grainger, and J.S Bach. Sian takes a festive breath and finds a special Christmas tree, while Professor Catherine Loveday explores Christmas music and nostalgia.

3 hours

Music Played

  • George Frideric Handel

    Messiah: Part I, Pastoral Symphony ('Pifa')

    Ensemble: The Sixteen. Conductor: Harry Christophers.
    • CORO.
  • Niels Wilhelm Gade

    Children's Christmas, No 4 (The Little Girls' Dance)

    Performer: Anker Blyme.
    • DACAPO.
  • Trad.

    In Dulci Jubilo

    Performer: Sandra Marteleur. Choir: S:t Jacobs kammarkör. Conductor: Gary Graden.
    • BIS.
  • Victor Hely-Hutchinson

    A Carol Symphony (3rd mvt)

    Orchestra: The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Gavin Sutherland.
    • NAXOS.
  • Gustaf Nordqvist

    Jul, jul, strålande jul (Christmas, Christmas, glorious Christmas)

    Ensemble: The Real Group.
    • VIRGIN.
  • John Jacob Niles

    I wonder as I wander

    Performer: Alstad. Performer: Ben Goheen.
    • Aemeralds.
  • Leopold Mozart

    Divertimento in F major, ('Die musikalische Schlittenfahrt')

    Music Arranger: Philip Lane. Orchestra: ѿý Concert Orchestra. Conductor: Barry Wordsworth.
    • NAXOS.
  • Joanna Forbes

    Auld Lang Syne

    Ensemble: London Voices. Conductor: Ben Parry.
    • SIGNUM.
  • Harold Edwin Darke

    In the Bleak Midwinter

    Performer: Septura. Music Arranger: M. Knight.
    • NAXOS.
  • Hector Berlioz

    L'enfance du Christ (Op 25), Pt 2 ('L'adieu des bergers')

    Choir: Swedish Radio Choir. Orchestra: Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Robin Ticciati.
    • LINN RECORDS.
  • John Ireland

    The Holy Boy

    Orchestra: Sinfonia of London. Conductor: John Wilson.
    • CHANDOS.
  • Chris Black

    Go to the Child

    Choir: ѿý Singers. Performer: Richard Pearce. Conductor: Bob Chilcott.
  • Marc‐Antoine Charpentier

    Messe de minuit pour noël, H. 9, No 1 'Kyrie Eleison' & Noëls sur les instruments, H. 534: No 3 'Joseph est bien marie'

    Ensemble: Les Arts Florissants. Conductor: William Christie.
    • WARNER.
  • Erich Wolfgang Korngold

    Der Schneemann ('Serenade')

    Performer: Daniel Hope. Orchestra: Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Alexander Shelley.
    • DG.
  • հä

    Christmas Eve (Tommy Coen's reel)

    Performer: Jean Kelly. Ensemble: The Telling.
    • FIRST HAND.
  • Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

    Christmas Eve: Scene1 (1st mvt, 'Introduction')

    Orchestra: Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin. Conductor: Michail Jurowski.
    • Capriccio.
  • Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    'Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy' (The Nutcracker Suite Op. 71: Act 2, Scene 14c)

    Orchestra: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: André Previn.
    • WARNER.
  • John Rutter

    There is a Flower

    Choir: The Cambridge Singers. Singer: Ruth Holton.
    • Collegium.
  • Johannes Brahms

    Chorale Prelude Op 122 No 8 ('Es ist ein Ros entsprungen')

    Orchestra: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: John Scott.
    • ALTO.
  • Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

    Hodie Christus natus est

    Choir: Westminster Cathedral Choir. Conductor: Martin Baker.
    • HELIOS.
  • հä

    The First Nowell

    Ensemble: New Century Saxophone Quartet.
    • CHANNEL.
  • Karel Svoboda

    Drei Haselnüsse für Aschenbrödel (Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella)

    Performer: Caroline Fischer. Music Arranger: Andreas Gilomen.
    • GENUIN.
  • Benjamin Britten

    Corpus Christi Carol

    Performer: VOCES8.
    • DECCA.
  • Margaret Bonds

    The Ballad of the Brown King (2nd mvt, 'They brought fine gifts')

    Choir: The Dessoff Choirs. Conductor: Malcolm Merriweather.
    • AVIE.
  • Robert Wells

    Christmas Song

    Composer: Mel Tormé. Performer: Fergus McCreadie.
  • Kim Porter

    Christmas Eve

    Performer: ѿý Singers. Conductor: Owain Park.
  • Franz Liszt

    Weinachtsbaum, S. 186, No 7 ('Schlummerlied')

    Performer: Roland Pöntinen.
    • BIS.
  • Arcangelo Corelli

    Concerto grosso in G minor, Op 6 No 8, 'Christmas Concerto' (3rd mvt)

  • հä

    Süßer die Glocken nie klingen

    Performer: Lucienne Renaudin Vary. Orchestra: NDR Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Richard Whilds.
    • WARNER.
  • Agustín Barrios Mangoré

    Villancico de Navidad

    Performer: Thibaut Garcia.
    • ERATO.
  • Christopher Rouse

    Karolju, No 11, 'Italian'

    Orchestra: ѿý Symphony Orchestra. Choir: Philharmonia Chorus. Conductor: David Zinman.
    • SONY.
  • Peter Warlock

    Bethlehem Down

    Orchestra: The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Gavin Sutherland.
    • NAXOS.
  • Trad.

    Wexford Carol

    Ensemble: Lumiere String Quartet.
    • Lumiere.
  • Hilary Campbell

    Sleep, My Dreaming One

    Choir: The Blossom Street Singers. Conductor: Hilary Campbell.
    • NAXOS.
  • Katherine K. Davis

    Drummer Boy

    Performer: The King’s Singers.
    • SIGNUM.
  • Johann Sebastian Bach

    Puer natus in Bethlehem, BWV 603

    Ensemble: Quartetto Italiano di Viole da Gamba.
    • WINTER.
  • Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    Symphony No 1 in G minor, Op 13 'Winter Daydreams' (2nd mvt, 'Land of Gloom, Land of Mists')

    Orchestra: London Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Mstislav Rostropovich.
    • WARNER.
  • Percy Grainger

    The Sussex Mummers' Christmas Carol

    Choir: St Paul's Cathedral Choir. Conductor: John Scott.
    • ALTO.
  • Joaquín Rodrigo

    'Pastorcito santo' (3 Villancicos, No 1)

    Performer: Thibaut Garcia. Singer: Alessandro Fisher.
  • հä

    Les Anges Dans Nos Campanges

    Orchestra: Orchestre symphonique de Québec.
    • ANALEKTA.
  • André Jolivet

    Pastorale de Noel ('L'etoile')

    Ensemble: Britten Pears Orchestra.
    • ASV.
  • Trad.

    Ar Gyfer Heddiw'r Bore

    Performer: Bryn Terfel. Ensemble: Brigyn.
    • EOS Record.
  • Antonio Vivaldi

    The Four Seasons, Op 8 No 4, RV 297, 'Winter' (2nd mvt, Largo)

    Performer: Tasmin Little. Orchestra: ѿý Symphony Orchestra.
    • CHANDOS.
  • Trad.

    Still, still, still

    Performer: Alexis Ffrench.
    • SONY.

Broadcasts

  • Mon 23 Dec 2024 09:00
  • Christmas Day 2024 09:00