WRTI has lined up the perfect mix of classical music and jazz to set the holiday mood and add cheer to your season. Find out when to hear cherished favorites such as The Nutcracker and Messiah, as well as A Classical Kids Christmas, WRTI's 2007 Top 75 Jazz Countdown, our Jazz New Year's Eve, the Vienna Philharmonic's annual New Year's concert, and more...
Mark your calendar?here are some of WRTI's holiday highlights.
Classical Music
Saturday, December 15
10 am Rimsky-Korsakov: Christmas Eve Suite, Bochum Symphony, Othmar Maga, conductor.
Sunday, December 16
3 pm? Christmas from our Nation's Capitol featuring The Choral Arts Society of Washington and the American Youth Philharmonic.
Monday, December 17
11 am Leopold Mozart: A Musical Sleigh Ride, Eduard Melkus Ensemble. 2 pm John Rutter: Gloria, City of Birmingham Symphony and Chorus, Stephen Cleobury, conductor. 5:30 pm Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy, conductor.
Tuesday, December 18
10 am Victor Hely-Hutchinson: A Carol Symphony, Pro Arte Orchestra, Barry Rose, conductor. 1 pm Hugo Wolf: Christnacht, Cantata for soloists, chorus and orchestra, Berlin Radio Symphony and Berlin Philharmonic Choir and soloists, Uwe Gronostay, conductor. 4 pm Carl Davis: A Christmas Carol (Medley for Orchestra), Northern Ballet Sinfonia, John Pryce-Jones, conductor.
?Wednesday, December 19
11 am? Robert Russell Bennet: The Many Moods of Christmas, Suite No. 1, RCA Victor Symphony, Robert Shaw Chorale, Robert Shaw, conductor. 1 pm Benjamin Britten: St. Nicholas Oratorio, Indianapolis Festival Orchestra and Chorus, Frederick Burgomaster, conductor. 4 pm Z. Randall Stroope-Hodie: A Christmas Cantata, Paul Hill Chorale and Brass, Paul Hill, conductor. 5:30 pm John Rutter: Brother Heinrich's Christmas, A Christmas Story with Music, City of London Sinfonia and Chorale, Brian Kay, narrator, John Rutter, conductor.
Friday, December 21
10 am Leroy Anderson: A Suite of Carols for String Orchestra, Leroy Anderson, conductor. 12 pm Hector Berlioz: L'Enfance du Christ, Paris Coinservatoire Orch., Duclos Choir, soloists, Andre Cluytens, conductor. 2 pm Franz Liszt: A Christmas Tree, Eteri Andjaparidze, piano. 4 pm Opera Stars Sing Music of the Holidays: features stars such as Pavarotti, Domingo, Sutherland, Gheorghiu, and Alagna.
Saturday, December 22
9 am Jan Ryba: A Czech Christmas Mass, Prague Symphony and Chorus, soloists, Vaclav Smetacek, conductor. 10 am Antonio Vivaldi: Gloria in D, Wren Orchestra, St. John's College Choir and soloists, George Guest, conductor.
Sunday, December 23
5 pm A Classical Kids Christmas, a magical collection of traditional carols for children, with soloists, choirs, and instrumentalists, and featuring the High Park Choirs of Toronto.
WRTI will broadcast Christmas music, exclusively, from 12 pm on December 24 until 6 pm on Christmas Day
Monday, December 24 (Christmas Eve Day)
12 noon Peter Iliych Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, complete ballet in two acts, London Symphony, Vladimir Ashkenazy, conductor.
Tuesday, December 25 (Christmas)
George Frideric Handel: Messiah, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, soloists, Eugene Ormandy, conductor.
Saturday, December 29
1:30 pm The Metropolitan Opera, Engelbert Humperdinck: Hansel and Gretel (live from the Metropolitan Opera House in NYC).
New Year's Day
11 am New Year's From Vienna, recorded earlier in the day, the Vienna Philharmonic's annual concert of music celebrating the New Year, with works by the Strauss family and their contemporaries.
1 pm Johann Strauss, Jr., Die Fledermaus, comic operetta in three acts, Vienna Philharmonic, Vienna State Opera Chorus with soloists, Andre Previn, conductor.
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Jazz
Tune in to hear holiday favorites from days of old such as Ella Fitzgerald's Ella Wishes You A Swingin' Christmas, Tony Bennett's Snowfall, Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas, and other classics from Nat King Cole, Stan Kenton and Jimmy Smith. We'll also bring a sprinkling of contemporary takes on hymns and yuletide swings from artists including Diana Krall, the Boilermaker Jazz Band, Cyrus Chestnut, and Jane Monheit.
Sunday, December 16
9 am? Piano Jazz
A Christmas Special swings in the holiday season! Marion McPartland and her guests from seasons past, present, and future share their favorite memories and unique musical performances of Christmas classics and original holiday tunes. Surprises abound and musical gifts are offered for your listening pleasure.
6 pm? Riverwalk Jazz
Hot Jazz for a Cool Yule: Joyful Jazz for the Holidays! The Jim Cullum Jazz Band and friends jazz up holiday classics like "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and "Nutcracker Rag." Guest performances feature jazz master Clark Terry, Broadways Carol Woods, The Judge Milt Hinton, and a special rendition of "Little Drummer Boy" with tap dance sensation, Savion Glover.
Sunday, December 23
7 pm? JazzSet
Putumayo Holiday Concert at Howlin' Wolf in New Orleans - It's a seasonal concert with some of the Crescent City's best. Performers include Lars Edegran's Santa Claus Revelers, vocalists Topsy Chapman and John Boutt?, Don Vappie's Creole Jazz Serenaders, and Ellis Marsalis's trio. Rhonda Hamilton guest hosts.
December 26, 27, 28
WRTI's 2007 Top 75 Jazz Countdown
9 pm to midnight - don't miss it!
What are you doing on New Year's Eve?
WRTI is having a party and you can join us by simply tuning in. Bob Perkins and Harrison Ridley Jr. will get the pot boiling at 8 pm with some special guests and plenty of their favorite jazz.
Bob Craig will take over at 10 pm and he'll make sure the heat stays up as the ball drops. He'll keep the party going strong with a bounty of live tracks and concert performances until 2 am. Bob will include some of the most prominent performances in jazz history including Coltrane's My Favorite Things from Newport in 1963, Charlie Parker from Carnegie Hall, and some of Ella from Berlin.