This month's cover stars are the choir boys and girls of St John's College, Cambridge. The choir’s music director Christopher Gray speaks to Ashutosh Khandekar about adapting its identity to the 21st century while maintaining its renowned ‘St John’s sound’.
In other features, Harriet Constable, author of The Instrumentalist, explores Venice’s Ospedale della Pietà, the girls’ orphanage where Vivaldi taught and composed. And... is it a bonus or a burden to be the musical child of musical parents? Michael White tracks down prominent examples for the inside story.
Elsewhere in this festive issue, legendary composer John Rutter shares his favourite Christmas carols (p20) and composer Roxanna Panufnik tells Amanda Holloway about Aurora, her new multi-faith celebration (p40). And for this month's Building a Library, Jo Talbot admires Tchaikovsky's wintry masterpiece Swan Lake, and selects the best recordings.
But if all that cheer feels too cloying and saccharine, turn to page 32 where we share the Christmas music we love to hate. Wishing you all a wonderful Yuletide!
This month's cover CD features performances of two wintry masterpieces. Glazunov's ballet The Seasons is a lyrical, colourful ballet celebrating nature’s cycles through elegant orchestration and classical charm, while Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kijé Suite is a witty orchestral suite blending satire, lyricism, and mock-military pomp. Both get vivid performances from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra on this month's disc.
Click here or on the image to see the track details for this month's cover CD.
