( Photo by WQXR )
ANNIE BERGEN
The holiday season is a time of friends, family, food and……music!
At WQXR it is our great pleasure to be the soundtrack of your festivities! I’m Annie Bergen. For the next hour we’re going to share with you highlights from our recent holiday concert in the Jerome L. Greene Performance Space.
We invited five different ensembles to perform in front of a live audience - from a choir to solo flute, a couple of trios and an operatic soprano, we are grateful to bring the glorious music of the season to you both live in person and also on the radio.
Our first guest describes herself as a violin soloist, and iguana-mama.
The Los Angeles Times has called Lara St John a “volcanic violinist with a huge, fabulous tone that pours out of her like molten lava”.
Lara and her pianist Martin Kennedy start off our show with a medley of songs called “Christ- Mess” that’s m-e-s-s.
MUSIC -
- Christ Mess Blues by Gene Pritsker
ANNIE
A lovely compilation of Holiday tunes called “Christ-mess Blues” by Gene Pritsker! Performed by violinist Lara St John and pianist Martin Kennedy. And recorded live in our WQXR Greene Space.
Lara has a couple more songs for us - one celebrating Chanukah too! Joining them on stage is the vocalist - Rachel Hutchins. And they’ll start with Vince Guaraldi’s “Christmas Time is Here” - Lara St John and friends live at the Greene Space.
MUSIC
- Christmas Time is Here by Vince Guaraldi(3m)
- The Hanukkah Carol by Ronn Yedidia (lyrics by Lara St John) -
ANNIE
Violinist Lara St John wrote the lyrics to that piece called “Hanukah Carol” with music by Ronn Yedidia. She calls it Hanukkah's answer to the 12 days of Christmas. Lara was joined by pianist Martin Kennedy and singer Rachel Hutchins.
I’m Annie Bergen and we’re listening to a concert that was recently recorded in our WQXR Jerome L Greene Performance Space. And now we’re going to add a few more folks to the stage!
The Clarion Choir has been together for more than a decade. They normally perform with close to 30 singers, but they’ve paired down to 11 people to fit on our little but mighty Greene Space stage!
They are led by their artistic director Steven Fox.
We’re going to hear a number of carols starting with “Shchedryk” better known as Carol of the Bells.
MUSIC
- Shchedryk (Carol of the Bells) arr. Mykola Leontovych
- The Lamb John Tavener
A piece by the English composer - John Tavener, called the Lamb performed by the Clarion Choir at WQXR’s Greene Space. We have a few more songs from this choir, including the Chanukah favorite Ma’oz Tzur - better known as Rock of Ages. They are conducted by Steven Fox with David Enlow at the piano.
MUSIC
- Ma'oz Tzur (Rock of Ages) arr. A. W. Binder (with piano)
- Wassail Ralph Vaughan Williams
ANNIE
The Clarion Choir with Ralph Vaughan Williams “Wassail” and the Chaukakuh favorite - Ma’oz Tzur. Their conductor is Steven Fox and David Enlow was at the piano.
I’m Annie Bergen and we’re sharing highlights from a concert we recently recorded in front of a live audience at the Greene Space.
The New York Times has called our next performer “a deft, smooth flute soloist.” Jennifer Grim has performed with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, as well as the St Luke’s Chamber Ensemble and she’s a member of the Zephyros Wind Ensemble. She is currently on faculty at the Frost School of Music in Miami
Grim will perform a traditional Christmas piece that you no doubt will recognize!
MUSIC
- GREENSLEEVES/What Child is This?
ANNIE
That’s Jennifer Grim - recorded live here in the Greene Space.
A traditional song with a couple of names - “Greensleeves” and “What Child is This” a carol that has been associated with Christmas since at least the 17th Century!
We’ll have music from a few other centuries coming up in the second half of this program. I’m Annie Bergen and this is WQXR’s Christmas Concert from the Greene Space.
‘
BREAK
ANNIE
We’re listening to highlights from a concert recently recorded in the WQXR Jerome L Greene Performance Space. Our next guest is no stranger to this stage - opera star and soprano Laquita Mitchell has been here for a previous Christmas show as well as a Scott Joplin tribute singing an excerpt from Treemonisha.
Performing with Laquita is the pianist Dr. Brandon Waddles and she’s also asked our colleague Terrance Mc Knight to join her on this performance.
(Terrance reads poem)
TERRANCE READS
Ring out, ye bells!
All Nature swells
With gladness at the wondrous story,
The world was lorn,
But Christ is born
To change our sadness into glory.
Sing, earthlings, sing!
To-night a King Hath come from heaven's high throne to bless us.
The outstretched hand
O'er all the land
Is raised in pity to caress us.
LAQUITA SINGS: OH HOLY NIGHT
TERRANCE READS
Come at his call;
Be joyful all;
Away with mourning and with sadness!
The heavenly choir
With holy fire
Their voices raise in songs of gladness.
The darkness breaks
And Dawn awakes,
Her cheeks suffused with youthful blushes.
The rocks and stones
In holy tones
Are singing sweeter than the thrushes.
LAQUITA SINGS: SISTER MARY HAD BUT ONE CHILE
TERANCE READS
Then why should we
In silence be,
When Nature lends her voice to praises;
When heaven and earth
Proclaim the truth
Of Him for whom that lone star blazes?
No, be not still,
But with a will
Strike all your harps and set them ringing;
On hill and heath
Let every breath
Throw all its power into singing
LAQUITA SINGS: Go Tell it on the Mountain
ANNIE
A poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar read by our own Terrance McKnight with soprano Laquita Mitchell singing:
Oh Holy Night, Sister Mary Had-a But One Chile, and Go Tell It on the Mountain.
The pianist was Dr Brandon Waddles.
I’m Annie Bergen and we’ve got one more ensemble to perform on our Greene Space Christmas concert and they are the New York Pops Holiday Trio.
Led by their music director and conductor Steven Reineke, the New York Pops celebrates the popular song book with an orchestra that reaches almost 80 musicians.
We have three of their musicians on this concert - the New York Pops Holiday Trio are going to play several pieces for us including this first offering - a favorite Carol - Silver Bells.
MUSIC -
- Silver Bells
- O’Tannenbaum
- Let it Snow
The New York Pops Holiday Trio recorded live in the Jerome L Greene Performance Space. We just heard Let it Snow and before that O Christmas Tree and they started their set with Silver Bells, all of those songs were arranged by Lee Musiker - the pianist of the Trio.
The other members include: bassist Jeffrey Carney and drummer Jim Saporito.
I’m Annie Bergen - Happy Holidays from all of us here at WQXR!