Beginning and ending with a processional chant, the Ceremony’s highlights include the atmospheric chill of ‘In Freezing Winter Night’, the hauntingly plaintive ‘That yongë child’ and the simply exquisite ‘There is no rose’. Discovering a book of poems in a shop in New England at the beginning of the journey had provided the spark, and by the time the ship docked in Liverpool, his suite of songs for three-part treble or soprano choir and harp was well on the way to completion. In Britten’s case, this was having the idea to write a Christmas work while crossing the Atlantic on a cargo ship heading from the US to war-torn Britain in the spring of 1942 – hardly festive. The best recordings of Respighi's Pines of Rome.One of his most evocative trademarks – the interweaving of Gregorian chant – is also there too. In this 20-minute cantata, Respighi brilliantly conjures up the mystery and awe of the Nativity scene, not least through the use of pastoral tunes on the wind instruments. Try, in particular, his 1930 Lauda per la Natività del Signore for soloists, chorus and small instrumental ensemble. Today, the Italian is best known for his barnstorming ‘Roman Trilogy’ – the Fountains of Rome, the Fountains of Rome and Roman Festivals – though many of his less ebullient, more refined works are well worth investigating.

Rimsky-Korsakov’s famed mastery of orchestration can be seen in the music of Ottorino Respighi, who was briefly a pupil of his in the early 20th century. Respighi’s Lauda per la Natività del Signore Rimsky’s opera, which is based on a story by Gogol, enjoyed its first performance in 1895 and he later distilled some of its finer moments into an equally enjoyable orchestral suite. Head instead, then, for Rimsky-Korsakov’s jolly romp, which tells of Vakula the blacksmith’s bid to win the affection of the lovely Oksana by stealing and bringing her the Empress’s slippers, an adventure that comes complete with a night-time ride through the stars to St Petersburg. Rimsky-Korsakov’s Christmas Eveįestive operas are surprisingly thin on the ground, and the two most famous ones set partly on Christmas Eve – Puccini’s La bohème and Massenet’s Werther – have thoroughly miserable, unseasonal outcomes. His oratorio is a comparatively restrained affair, interspersing the Christmas narrative with reflective texts, though the uplifting final ‘Tollite hostias’ chorus always leaves the listener with a spring in the step. Saint-Saëns’s ten-movement piece is shorter and more compact than Bach’s, though is lushly orchestrated for soloists, chorus, strings, harp and, of course, organ – at the time, the composer held the post of organist at La Madeleine in Paris and was a renowned player. When the 25-year-old Camille Saint-Saënswrote his Christmas Oratorio in December 1858, he clearly had one eye on Bach’s notable predecessor, as there are little stylistic nods to the great man throughout the piece.

The best recordings of Handel’s Messiah.

Though the rousing ‘Hallelujah’ and ‘For Unto Us a Child is Born’ choruses are the perennial favourites, there are also more subdued moments, such as the sublime arias ‘Every valley’ and ‘He was despised’. Nonetheless, it has become an essential part of the yuletide repertoire, with countless performances taking place over the Christmas period right across the globe. What’s more, the work’s first performance in 1742 took place not in chilly December, but on 13 April in Dublin. Only Part I of this mighty three-part oratorio deals with the Christmas story – by the time we get to Part II, we’re already onto Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. In a way, including Handel’s Messiah in a list of the greatest festive works feels a bit of a cheat. There are highlights aplenty, but few match the opening ‘Jauchzet, frohlocket’ chorus for instilling the festive feel-good factor. Unlike Handel’s Messiah (below), the Christmas Oratorio confines itself strictly to the Christmas narrative, beginning with the birth of Jesus and ending with the adoration of the Magi.

Best christmas opera music