Nothing Lifts the Spirit Like Music of the Holidays

Sounds of the season lift the spirit, spark warm memories of childhood, and invigorate body and soul. This December, the ESO will once again present a selection of holiday favorites for you.

Recapture the feeling of childhood delight as you listen to Sleigh Ride by Anderson, complete with the sounds of clomping hooves and shimmering sleigh bells. Our rendition of Winter Wonderland will have you humming along as you imagine a stroll along a snowy walkway, snowflakes gently falling from the sky.

Remember the Golden Age of cinema as we play White Christmas by Berlin and Bennett, and imagine the glamour of Bing Crosby, Danny Kay, and Rosemary Clooney. Enjoy Fantasia on Greensleeves by Vaughn Williams, which is one of the most famous Christmas tunes of all time. According to Classic FM, it is a delightful piece that captures “the very essence of England in music. The serene, pastoral sounds evoke images of bucolic bliss, with lyrical string writing and particularly descriptive flute passages.”

And, of course, A Christmas Festival will satisfy your appetite for all the songs of the season. Written by local composer Leroy Anderson in 1950 for the Boston Pops Orchestra at the request of conductor Arthur Fiedler, the piece is a medley of nine of the most memorable Christmas Carols ever written.

This orchestral music will be rounded out by pieces including choirs, dancers, and Hanukah themes, in Jeffrey Biegel’s Hanukah Fantasy.