The week beginning 31 December 2012

Wednesday: The Massey Lectures

The CBC Massey Lectures celebrated fifty years in 2011 with bestselling author, essayist, cultural observer, and famed New Yorker contributor Adam Gopnik. His subject is winter - the season, the space, the cycle. Gopnik takes us on an intimate tour of the artists, poets, composers, writers, explorers, scientists, and thinkers, who helped shape a new and modern idea of winter. A stunningly beautiful meditation buoyed by Gopnik's trademark gentle wit, Winter is at once an enchanting homage to an idea of a season and a captivating journey through the modern imagination.

Winter: Five Windows on the Season

(1) (CBC)

See the CBC website for this programme

Thursday: Song of America

This 13-part series presented by Thomas Hampson examines connections between poetry, music, history and culture from the perspective of classic American song

(1) American Characters

An introductory programme featuring songs about real and fictional characters in American history, including poets, preachers and a president (WFMT)

Friday: 2012 Gramophone Awards

2012 Gramophone Awards

Best Baroque Instrumental Recording

BACH: Orchestral Suite No 1 in C BWV1066; Polonaise & Double, from Orchestral Suite No 2 in B minor BWV1067; Orchestral Suite No 4 in D BWV1069 - Karl Kaiser (fl), Freiburg Baroque Orch/Gottfried von der Goltz (Harmonia Mundi HMC 90 2113.14)