Arizona Holiday Program

Each December, the soundtracks of many Americans’ everyday lives are dominated by Christmas music. But where do these familiar melodies come from, and how have they come to be Christmas classics year after year? This week’s episode of Arizona Encore will dive into some holiday staples as well as some lesser-known Christmas music, exploring their diverse origins and how they continue to persist.

We’ll begin with Tchaikovsky’s beloved ballet The Nutcracker, which sprang from personal tragedy into a realm of fantasy and childhood fairytales that continues to delight audiences without fail each holiday season. Turning from Russia to England, we’ll discover how Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Christmas Carols and Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols both draw on traditional English folk melodies, filtering these raw musical materials through the unique musical vocabularies of their respective composers. We’ll also hear J.S. Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, despite the fact that Bach–a practical composer if ever there was one–recycled the piece for use outside the Christmas season, as required by his employer. Throughout, we’ll learn more about the sometimes surprising people and stories behind Christmas favorites like Winter Wonderland, Jingle Bells, White Christmas, and Frosty the Snowman.

The performances on tonight’s program come from talented musicians including Nathan Lam, Rachel Dai, Jeremy Peterman, Caleb French, Martin James Bartlett, Eric Holtan, and Julie Desbordes, as well as the members of the Phoenix Chorale, True Concord, and Salt River Brass.