21 Dec 2022

The festive season on RNZ Concert

From Concert Talk , 6:00 am on 21 December 2022

Whether you have been naughty or nice this year, RNZ Concert has some lovely things for you over the festive season. Here are some highlights to listen out for.

Keep an eye out for Follow The Star  in Music Alive at 8pm on Thursday (22 Dec) for a constellation of well-known Christmas carols with music about stars and the mystery of the season. Performed by Voices NZ Chamber Choir conducted by Karen Grylls in St Matthew's in the city, Auckland.

Friday at the same time hear the NZ Youth Choir's recent concert in Hobart, brought to you courtesy of our friends at ABC Classic in Australia.

On Christmas Eve we have some special music choices including Rimsky-Korsakov's Christmas Eve Suite after 7pm and a performance by the NZSO of favourite festive music and songs in Christmas Pops featuring Jacqui Dark (mezzo) New Zealand SO/Benjamin Northey in Music Alive after 8pm.

On Christmas Day we will have Sanctuary, offering music for the spirit and soul from 6am, and a special Christmas day edition of Hymns on Sunday, presented by Robyn Jaquiery at 7:30am.

At 1pm our lunchtime listen is the NZSO performing Handel's Messiah featuring Anna Leese (soprano), Sarah Court (mezzo), Frederick Jones (tenor), Robert Tucker (bass), The Tudor Consort, conducted by Gemma New, recorded by RNZ Concert.

From 5pm in New Horizons - Christmas Spirit and Soul William Dart shares an hour of the Christmas spirit in music, from today and older days, with artists such as Buck Owens, Taylor Swift, Alicia Keys, Pentatonix and the late greats Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding.

The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra's Celebrate Christmas concert in Holy Trinity Cathedral.

The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra's Celebrate Christmas concert in Holy Trinity Cathedral. Photo: Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra

The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra Celebrate Christmas 2022 at 6pm on Christmas Day. This much-loved annual  concert Includes yuletide orchestral favourites like Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker and Prokofiev’s Troika. The APO is joined by soprano Anna Leese and The Graduate Choir for a generous helping of traditional Christmas music.

Then, at 8pm, enjoy Baroque from the North, instrumental Christmas music from Iceland performed by the Reykjavik  Chamber Orchestra recorded by the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service and featuring arrangements of traditional music that has been a big part of Icelandic musical heritage, side-by-side with new Christmas works by contemporary Icelandic composers.

On Boxing Day there's fun for all the family when NZSO performs music selected from seven Harry Potter films under the baton of Christopher Dragon!

On New Year's Eve The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra plays some of the greatest music written for video games, movies and television in The Music of Comic Con, conducted by Gordon Hamilton from 8pm in Music Alive

New Year's Day brings the encore broadcast of Settling The Score 2022 from 8am til 8pm with selections from the top 100 and beyond to start and finish, and the Top 30 countdown happening between noon and 6pm. (Spoiler) Find out more about why these pieces made it into the Top 30 of Settling The Score 2022 here.

Our celebration of New Zealand classical music fans continues with the NZSO's 75th Jubilee Concert – including audience choices featuring Bridget Douglas (flute), Vesa-Matti Leppänen (violin), and conducter Gemma New - in Music Alive from 8pm

Click here for details about all the other goodies on RNZ Concert over the festive season.

Thank you for listening to RNZ Concert this year, we are really looking forward to spending 2023 with you!