Trumpeter Lucienne Renaudin Vary
• Aperitif : At Ceremony of Carols, by Benjamin Britton. We are immediately immersed in the magic of Christmas, a period that I cannot imagine without carols.
• For the oysters:Winter, by Antonio Vivaldi. This piece arouses a whole imagination full of sleds in the sky, forests of fir trees, falling snow.
• For the turkey: Concerto for Christmas Eve in G minor, by Arcangelo Corelli. It is a concerto grosso, therefore for orchestra and three soloists. I have always found baroque music comforting.
• For the log:jingle bells, by The King’s Singers (Deutsche Grammophon). This mythical, classy and British group has existed for more than fifty years. I will probably listen to it at Christmas, because I will be playing in Germany, far from my family.
His latest album: Trumpet Concertos (Erato/Warner Classics).
Pianist Alexandre Tharaud
• Aperitif : Goldberg Variations, by Johann Sebastian Bach. You can listen to the reference version by Glenn Gould or that of the pianist Zhu Xiao-Mei. It is music that allows us to reconnect with ourselves and those around us.
• For the oysters:Parsifal, by Richard Wagner, by Pierre Boulez (Deutsche Grammophon). My favorite opera, it goes into the most fascinating caves of the human soul. It may be a bit creepy, but when you think of Wagner, you think of Bayreuth, Bavaria, one of the most beautiful destinations for Christmas.
• For the turkey:Moonlight, by Claude Debussy. This is a universal piece that moves people wherever they come from. She uses a lot of thirds, a warm interval.
• For the log: My Christmas, by Diana Damrau (Erato/Warner Classics). One of today’s greatest opera singers. Her voice gives another dimension to Christmas carols. This is the perfect album for the holiday season.
His latest album: Movie theater (Erato/Warner Classics).
Conductor Laurence Equilbey
• Aperitif :Messiah, the concert of Astrée, by Georg Friedrich Händel, conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm (Erato/Warner Classics), including For Unto Us a Child Is Born. It’s so pretty and it goes beyond the divine framework, because it describes the birth of a child. To open the evening, it’s nice.
• For the oysters:Laudate Dominum, extract of Solemn Vespers of a Confessor, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, in the version I conducted with Sandrine Piau and Insula Orchestra & Accentus (Erato/Warner Classics). For the aerial and pure side of this very beautiful motet, a church song with several voices, which brings a lot of peace.
• For the turkey:Panis Angelicus – Sacred Night, by César Franck, with Pavol Breslik, Concerto Köln, Accentus and Laurence Equilbey (Naïve). A piece with organ, choirs and tenor solo. The text is about eating the bread [des anges] and induces a strong idea of sharing: all the spirit of Christmas!
• For the log:Jauchzet, frohlocket! Christmas Oratorio, by Johann Sebastian Bach, Concentus Musicus Wien, conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt (Teldec Classics). This oratorio, which says “Exult, rejoice! “, really brings joy.
His latest album: Lucio Silla, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Erato/Warner Classics). Concert at La Seine musicale, in Boulogne-Billancourt, on December 15th.
Tenor Benjamin Bernheim
• Aperitif : The second act of Bohemian, by Giacomo Puccini. It takes place almost at Christmas. The most beautiful version, for me, is the one directed by Herbert von Karajan with Luciano Pavarotti and Mirella Freni.
• For the oysters:Wagner, a live album conducted by Claudio Abbado with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. It’s a kind of compilation with Tannhäuser, Tristan and Isolde, and especially Parsifal, which thrills me. Even secular, there, I see the heavens open.
• For the turkey: Symphony No. 7, by Ludwig van Beethoven, with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Christian Thielemann (Sony). It accompanies the loneliness of the wandering artist that I am.
• For the log:Wether, by Jules Massenet, with Roberto Alagna and London Symphony Orchestra. Especially Act IV and the death of young Werther on Christmas Eve. more joyful, santababy, by Eartha Kitt, sent by my partner on the first Christmas without each other.
His latest album: Boulevard of the Italians (Deutsche Grammophon).
Soprano Sabine Devieilhe
• Aperitif :Pleasing love, by the Harmonic Poem. A disc of French court music from the 15th and 16th centuries in which we find When I led the horses to drink. A very intimate piece of music to listen to with headphones before the frenzy of New Year’s Eve.
• For the oysters: Hells, by the Pygmalion ensemble. In particular the excerpt from the opera the Boreads, by Jean-Philippe Rameau. It’s calming music that will put all the guests in the right mood.
• For the turkey: The final of Marriage of Figaro, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The Count asks the Countess for forgiveness, as an invitation to ignore any rancor that evening.
• For the log:Dies Irae, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He comes from Requiem. A real stress reliever to let go of the negative emotions accumulated during dinner!
His latest album: Bach & Handel, with the Pygmalion set (Erato/Warner Classics).
We would like to say thanks to the author of this post for this outstanding content
Christmas: 5 virtuosos share their playlists with us for New Year’s Eve
You can find our social media profiles here as well as other pages related to them here.https://nimblespirit.com/related-pages/