![]() Humperdinck set to work and on Christmas 1890, he presented an operatic work with songs and dialogue to his fiancée Hedwig Taxer as a Christmas present. In the end, Gretel outsmarts the witch and kills her. ![]() They fall into the hands of an evil witch who lives in a gingerbread house and wants to eat the children. That text was based on the famous fairly tale by the Brothers Grimm, and features a brother and sister abandoned in a dark forest. ![]() Originally, the composer’s sister Adelheid Wette asked Humperdinck to compose music for texts she had written for her children for Christmas. The fairy-tale opera “ Hansel and Gretel” by Engelbert Humperdinck started out as a Christmas gift. 1 (Tom Krause, baritone Irwin Gage, piano) Sibelius made several arrangements of “Give me splendour,” which turns out to be the most popular song of the set. The songs are very short and stylistically simple, and Sibelius is able to evoke the Christmas mood by the greatest economy of means. This was all very jolly.” Four of the settings use texts by Zacharias Topelius and one is by Wilkku Joukahainen. Sibelius’ granddaughter remembered them being played in the composer’s household, “he played so loud, with the pedal down as if he were playing the organ. In Finland, two of the songs “Don’t give me splendor, gold or pomp,” and “High are the snowdrifts” are still sung across the country today. And it turns out, that his Opus 1 is a collection of five Christmas Songs in the Finish language composed between 18. It is less well known that he also composed over 100 songs for voice and piano. It even contains a reference to Handel’s “Messiah.”įor most listeners today, Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) is primarily known for his seven symphonies, orchestral tone poems, and the violin concerto. Do you know the peaceful “Christmas Greeting” with words by Caroline Alice Elgar and music by her husband Sir Edward Elgar? The couple spent Christmas in Rome in 1907, and this seasonal greeting is scored for high voices, violins and piano. ![]() Everybody interested in Classical music knows some of the wonderful pieces written by Bach, Handel, Corelli, Berlioz, and Messiaen for that occasion.īut the Universe of Classical music is much bigger than that, so we decided to feature some Christmas music that might not be as immediately familiar. And that tradition, as far as I am concerned, will continue. As long as I can remember, listening as a family to the first section of the Bach “Christmas Oratorio” was a beautiful part of our holiday celebration. We all have our favourite Christmas meals and treats, and that goes for music as well. For many people around the world it is a time of reflection, and a time to celebrate old family traditions or to create new ones. Christmas is once again around corner, and hopefully we can spend some time with friends and family. ![]()
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