Listen to this joyous Philadelphia Orchestra in Concert broadcast on Sunday, December 20th at 1 PM, and on December 21st at 7 PM on WRTI HD-2. It's the Orchestra’s annual Glorious Sound of Christmas concert, recorded in 2014, a tradition since the Philadelphians recorded its best-selling Glorious Sound of Christmas album in 1962.
The fabled "Philadelphia Sound" was burnished to full sheen for that recording, and the same “Philadelphia Sound” was on display when Bramwell Tovey conducted the Orchestra and the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia.
For the past 150 years the Mendelssohn Chorus has been devoted to sharing great choral music as a way to connect artists, audiences, and communities, and they join the Philadelphia Orchestra for this performance.
We’ll hear seven pieces before intermission, and seven after—and eight of them will be in arrangements by Mr. Tovey himself. Many of his arrangements include piano parts, which he will play. Maestro Tovey could also be a terrific stand-up comedian, as you will hear when you listen to this concert broadcast.
It’s a treat for the whole family!
PROGRAM:
The Glorious Sound of Christmas
Bramwell Tovey, Conductor
Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia, Alan Harler, Artistic Director
Traditional/ “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” arr. Tovey
Mendelssohn/ “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing” arr. Harris
Traditional/ “Good King Wenceslas” arr. Tovey
Holst/arr. Tovey - “In the Bleak Midwinter”
Tovey - “The Rittenhouse Carol” (World premiere)
Hairston/arr. Tovey - “Mary’s Boy Child”
Tchaikovsky - “Waltz of the Flowers,” from The Nutcracker, Op. 71
INTERMISSION
Tormé/arr. Lowden - “The Christmas Song”
Gruber/arr. Tovey - “Silent Night”
Moore - “The Night Before Christmas,” a poem with music
Pierpont/arr. Tovey, "Jingle Bells," Overture
Traditional/arr. Tovey - “God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen”
Anderson - "Sleigh Ride"
Wade/arr. Harris - “O Come, All Ye Faithful”
Gregg Whiteside is producer and host of The Philadelphia Orchestra in Concert broadcasts, every Sunday at 1 pm on WRTI 90.1, streaming online at WRTI.org, and on our mobile app. Listen again on Mondays at 7 pm on WRTI HD-2.
