Holiday Indulgence

I periodically like to plug my local classical music radio station, KQAC, also known as AllClassical.org. They’re now into the second day of a four-day festival of holiday music. Non-stop, ’round-the-clock for four days they’re playing the most splendid selection of Christmas and holiday music from around the world. And, if you’re sufficiently moved by a piece, they have a “Buy Now” button under every song title on the “Playlist” page which will take you to their partner, ArkivMusic. My Wish List is growing by leaps and bounds. I’ve been looking forward to this since last year! Some of you may be cringing at the idea of nothing but Christmas music for four solid days, but truly, so much of it is new to me it never gets boring or grating. Ever heard Christmas music from Finland? Sung in Finnish? Catalonia? Do you know the song “All the Citizens of Chartres”? Neither did I, but I’ve now heard two different renditions, it’s my new favorite Christmas song. There are of course the more familiar but mostly in very refreshing arrangements and performances (a Japanese harpist playing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”). If you’ve had enough of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”, give this a shot. They just played a piece called “The Musical Sleigh-ride” by Leopold Mozart (Wolfie’s father).

It runs all the way through Christmas Day, with a live broadcast of the Nine Lessons and Carols from King’s College on December 24 at 7:00 a.m. PST. Enjoy!