Christmas Eve on Performance Today

For Christmas Eve day, we have a special mix of holiday music. From ancient to modern, from lively to reflective, it's a mix of familiar melodies and some new surprises. The haunting voice of Linn Andrea Fuglseth in a traditional Norwegian carol. A glass harmonica played in a limestone cave in Spain. The charming Tokyo FM Boys Choir singing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," in both English and Japanese. Plus much more. It's special holiday music from around the country and around the world.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Francisco Guerrero: Virgen Sancta
Chanticleer

Karin Rehnqvist: Do not Fear the Darkness
The Swedish Wind Ensemble, Katarina Andreasson, director
St. Clare's Church, Stockholm, Sweden

Johann Hieronymus Kapsberger: Arpeggiata
Rolf Lislevand, chitarrone
Ursuline Church, Varazdin, Croatia

Morten Lauridsen: Nocturnes, Night has Come, and Ave Maria
The Singers, Matthew Culloton, director
Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church, St. Paul

Morten Lauridsen: O Magnum Mysterium
The Dale Warland Singers, Dale Warland, director

Traditional: Away in a Manger
The RTE National Symphony Orchestra and RTE Children's Choir, Gavin Maloney, conductor
National Concert Hall, Dublin Ireland

Gustaf Nordqvist: Yule, Yule, Radiant Yule
The Swedish Radio Chorus, Mika Eichenholz, conductor
Berwaldhallen, Stockholm, Sweden

John Rutter: The Donkey Carol
The RTE National Symphony Orchestra and RTE Children's Choir, Gavin Maloney, conductor
National Concert Hall, Dublin, Ireland

John Frederick Coots: Santa Claus is Coming to Town
The Tokyo FM Boys Choir, Megumi Yorita, piano
Tokyo FM Hall, Tokyo, Japan

Leroy Anderson: Sleigh Ride
The Virginia Symphony Orchestra, JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Chrysler Hall, Norfolk, Virginia

Chris Rogerson: Lullaby: No Bad Dreams
Benjamin Beilman, violin, Francis Perron, piano
Montreal International Music Competition, Montreal, Quebec

Traditional Austrian: Still, Still, Still
The Salt Lake Children's Chorus, Ralph B. Woodward, director
Cathedral of the Madeleine, Salt Lake City, Utah

Traditional Welsh (Arranged by Lawrence Wiliford): Suo-Gan (Sleep my baby)
Chanticleer
Stanford Memorial Church, Stanford, California

Franz Gruber: Silent Night
The Pro Arte Singers, Jacqui Kerrod, harp, Eric Trudel, organ, Arthur Sjogren, director
New Canaan Presbyterian Church, New Canaan, Connecticut

Hour 2

Benjamin Britten: Selections from a Ceremony of Carols
The American Boychoir, Vincent Metallo, director

Felix Mendelssohn: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Tarjei Hannevold, trumpet, the Swedish Radio Chorus and Orchestra, Mika Eichenholz, conductor
Berwaldhallen, Stockholm, Sweden

Mark Shepperd: Come Join Their Song
VocalEssence, Twin Cities Bronze, Philip Brunelle, director
Plymouth Congregational Church, Minneapolis

Traditional: Jolly Old St. Nicholas
The Canadian Brass, Eric Robertson, organ

Johann Sebastian Bach: Air on the G String
The Swedish Radio Chorus, Eva Kruse, double bass, Gustaf Sjokvist, director
Berwaldhallen, Stockholm, Sweden

Chick Corea: Crystal Silence for Glass Harmonica
Thomas Bloch, glass harmonica
Coves del Salnitre, Montserrat, Spain

Traditional Norwegian: Now all the Earth Rests in Peace
Linn Andrea Fuglseth, singer, Birger Mistereggen, percussion
Fitzgerald Theater, St. Paul

Daniel Godfrey: Romanza
The Cassatt String Quartet
Merkin Concert Hall, New York City

John Vergin: Carol: There is no Rose of Such Virtue
In Mulieribus, Anna Song, director
St. Philip Neri Catholic Church, Portland, Oregon

Johann Balthasar Konig and Michael Praetorius: This Night a Wondrous Revelation and Lo, How a Rose Ea€™er Blooming
The St. Olaf College Choirs and Orchestra
St. Olaf Christmas Festival, Northfield, Minnesota

Franz Gruber: Silent Night
Ensemble Galilei
Beaches Fine Arts Series, Jacksonville, Florida