BBC Music Magazine Christmas 2019

Paul Riley Writer and journalist ‘Accompanied by wheezy village organ or crack period band, sung by a handful of seasoned pros or a cast of hundreds, nothing says “Christmas” quite like Handel’s Messiah. There’s quite a story to be unwrapped!’ Page 28 Owain Park Composer and conductor ‘I was thrilled to be asked to write this year’s BBC Music Magazine carol, and hope that choirs everywhere will relish singing my setting of Frances Chesterton’s beautiful poem Here is the little door.’ Page 42 David Nice Writer and journalist ‘Rimsky-Korsakov’s musical exotica were my way into the Russian fantastical. Only later did I discover how much his mentor Balakirev shaped his imagination, and how bold his own handful of masterpieces are.’ Page 66…

It’s that time of year when choir directors are scrabbling around for new, exciting and, crucially, technically accessible carols for their Christmas services and concerts. Well, once again, allow us to help! For the past few years, we’ve commissioned a new carol from an exciting young composer, and this year we’ve asked Owain Park to add to our swelling portfolio. The result is a beautiful setting of Frances Chesterton’s Here is the little door (see p42) which we hope will find its way into a few orders of service across the world. You can hear two previous and very different commissions on this month’s cover disc, sung wonderfully by the choir of The Queen’s College, Oxford: Dobrinka Tabakova’s sparkling Good-will to men and peace on Earth and Toby Young’s atmospheric…

Grave concerns In response to your interesting 50 Greatest Composers list (December), I note that 22 out of 50 are either still alive or have died since 1950. This reminds me of a recent BBC Radio 3 Music Matters broadcast, in which conductor-composer Odaline de la Martinez remarked that composers can be very easily forgotten after they die unless there is an admirer to champion and promote their oeuvre. For example, I would think Dvorák might merit a special place given his significant advance of Czech music, while his countryman Janácek is seen by many as difficult and limited largely to the opera house. But recently he was brought brilliantly to our notice by conductor Charles Mackerras. Do we really judge composers’ music on merit or just because they are…

Critical points I’d like to respond to Richard Morrison’s objections to the new English National Opera (ENO) policy of only giving critics one ticket and offering a scheme to open the door to a new generation (November). Maybe some critics might benefit from slumming it with the hoi polloi once in a while. Yes, they are reviewing the whole eperience, but if a critic’s rider is not met, can we be sure that their commentary is then going to be fair and relevant? Educated reviews have value, but showy, obscure references annoy more people than they impress, and it seems like years of exposure can wilt the joy of being in the audience. Why shouldn’t a new generation get involved? Everyone has to start somewhere. A disappointingly traditional production for…

A British violinist has an extra reason to celebrate Christmas after recovering a 310-year-old instrument he thought he’d lost for good. Stephen Morris feared the worst when, having left his £250,000 Tecchler violin on a train, he learnt that it had then been stolen. Online appeals and press coverage, however, soon led to a covert meeting in a car park in which the prized possession was handed back to him. ‘I was gobsmacked by the coverage my story got; it really went viral,’ Morris tells BBC Music Magazine. ‘It’s hard to know precisely, but I would say that the huge media attention must have helped because the guy’s image was everywhere. That must have put some pressure on him to return it, I would have thought.’ The valuable Tecchler was…

New York may be famous its skyscrapers, but great things happen below ground, too. Deep in the catacombs of Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery, the concert series ‘Death of Classical’ takes place. Pictured here is a recent performance of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater featuring the String Orchestra of Brooklyn and singers Molly Netter and Kate Maroney. The brainchild of New York-born concert producer and promoter Andrew Ousley, the ironically named and hugely popular series is proving that classical music is anything but on its last legs.…