What operas or oratorio’s have a holiday/winter/christmas theme?
February 17th, 2010
Laura asked:
There are the obvious ones: Handel’s “Messiah”, Puccini’s “La Boheme”, Menotti’s “Amahl and the Night Visitors”, the “Christmas Oratorio” by Saint Saens – even Rimsky Korsakov’s “Christmas Eve” (which actually fits into the category of what I’m looking for). But I am specifically looking for pieces that are not performed often. They can be chamber works (meaning, for orchestra and a few voices – although I suppose quartets and the like would be ok as well), operas (1-acts preferable, but not required), Oratorios, or whatever. I’m not looking for individual pieces so much though.
There are the obvious ones: Handel’s “Messiah”, Puccini’s “La Boheme”, Menotti’s “Amahl and the Night Visitors”, the “Christmas Oratorio” by Saint Saens – even Rimsky Korsakov’s “Christmas Eve” (which actually fits into the category of what I’m looking for). But I am specifically looking for pieces that are not performed often. They can be chamber works (meaning, for orchestra and a few voices – although I suppose quartets and the like would be ok as well), operas (1-acts preferable, but not required), Oratorios, or whatever. I’m not looking for individual pieces so much though.
I seem to recall that there’s a French piece based on the story of the 3 kings? The name escapes me at the moment.
Basically, I’m looking for the rarities. And if you have links to recordings, so much the better.
THANKS!
Sharold
Categories: Other - Holidays | Tags: Christmas, Christmas Eve, Handel S Messiah
Lisa
How about “The Snow Maiden” by Rimsky-Korsakov?:
Was unable to locate any videos of it on You Tube.
Engelbert Humperdinck’s opera, “Hansel and Gretal; it’s often performed at Christmas time:
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Alberich
TAMMY
There are actually very many pieces written for the Christmas period. Making a wild guess, I would think more than on any one other theme. In addition to those you have noted the is , of course, J.C. Bach’s ‘Christmas Oratorio’ (actually 6 seperate cantatas). His prolific and contemporary countryman Telemann also wrote a ‘Messias’, albeit much shorter than Handel’s. Moving into the 19th century thers is Berlioz’s ‘L’Enfance du Christ’. In the 20th Vaughan Williams ‘Hodie’ (good recording on the cheap Naxos label) and ‘Bethlehem’ by the lesser known Englishman, Rutland Boughton.Don’t forget Britten’s ‘A Boy is Born’ Honegger also wrote a Christmas Oratorio.
Going back to the baroque and classical, numerous composers wrote ‘festal’ or ‘festive’ masses especially for the Christmas season
JOY
There are countless pieces about Christmas which do not get played very often. You will have to look up the recording yourself (I don’t have all day!) but some of the pieces I have in mind include (and this is only skimming the surface!):
‘Christmas’ Concertos by Locatelli, Tomasini, Torelli and Manfredini (not often played like the ‘Christmas Concerto’ by Corelli)
Arnold Bax – Christmas Eve (tone poem)
Christoph Bernhard – Christmas Cantata
Britten – A Boy Was Born
Bruckner – Virga Jesse floruit
Geoffrey Bush – Christmas Cantata
Antionio Caldara – many Christmas cantatas – ‘Vaticini di Pace’ is recorded on an excellent cheap Naxos CD
Charpentier – Messe de minuit pou Noël
Finzi – Dies natalis (not often performed outside the UK)
Finzi – In terra pax (as above)
William Henry Fry – Santa Claus Symphony
Holst – A Christmas Day
Holst – A Dream of Christmas
Ireland – Holy Boy
William Mathias – Ave Rex
Mendelssohn – Frohlockert, ihr Volker auf Erden
Otto Nicolai – Christmas Overture
Poulenc – Quatre motets pour le temps de Noël
Prokofiev – Winter Bonfire
Rimsky-Korsakov – Christmas Eve
A Scarlatti – Cantata pastorale per la nascità di Nostro Signore
Scheidt – In dulci jubilo
Schütz – Christmas Story
Sibelius – 5 Christmas Songs
Stradella – Christmas Cantata
Telemann – Messias
Vaughan Williams – Hodie (This Day)
Villa-Lobos – Praesepe