Alain Lefèvre’s album Petit Noël continues to lead numerous charts. He explains the concept in these terms: “The idea of offering you this Petit Noël (Little Christmas) is not fortuitous. It follows naturally from the special Christmas Eve broadcast that I present live on Espace Musique and the Première Chaîne of Radio-Canada, alongside my career as a concert pianist. As a matter of fact, for eight years now, as the host and at the piano, I have been sharing December 24 with all the people who, in solitude or reunited, joyful or nostalgic, join together to experience these few hours before the stroke of midnight in a cozy and festive atmosphere suggestive of possible happiness, as they listen to the most beautiful songs of the holiday season.”

I’ll admit here I am a big fan of the last piece of the album, Un Canadien errant, dedicated to the memory of Alain’s father-in-law, who passed away last year on December 24. My father also used to sing this beautiful song when I was a child and it certainly deserves to be brought to the forefront.

To listen and download the album…

On December 1791,the musical world lost one of its giants: Mozart. We may never know how he died, though several theories are still considered: cerebral commotion, food poisoning, undiagnosed illness… Of course, we must forgot the silly theory of an assassination sponsored by Salieri who, even at the height of his fame, was certainly well aware that he would never be considered in the same league as Mozart.

We may think that Mozart wrote music as others breath or eat. It’s not entirely true.  He wrote a friend:

“I didn’t take time to consider work or pain… One is mistaken when he thinks my art comes to me without effort. I’m telling you, dear friend, no one has spent so much effort as myself when it comes to studying composition.”

The year 1791 was a difficult one for Mozart. His health was not good and his honeymoon with Constanze defintely a thing of the past. Nevertheless, at the end of the year, fame came once more knocking at the door, as his last opera The Magic Flute became an instant hit.

On December 4, though still weak, he felt better and called upon his friends to share with them parts of the Requiem he was working on. His health took a turn for the worse that evening and he passed away on December 5, short after midnight, alone with his music.

To better understand the composer, why not listen to his Piano trios, as performed by the Gryphon Trio on its latest 9 CD box set devoted to the great piano trios of the repertoire.

Each family has its own holiday traditions. Some families go out in the woods and choose carefully the tree to grace their home, others will cook cookies together for a full day, others may spend an evening singing Christmas carols. What about the annual punching of the Gingerbread house? You think I must be crazy? Maybe you will consider for an instant or two the proposition after watching this delirious Bing ad, featuring as musical backgound Vivaldi’s Juditha Triumphans, as performed by the Ensemble Caprice on their latest album.

A score associated with war was perhaps never so effectively diverted…

The snowfall we had a few days ago reminded you that Christmas is just around the corner but you are not ready quite yet for “traditional” Christmas music?

Why not listen to an album of Provencal Noels, as performed by Strada et Miquèu Montanaro. Entirely sung in Occitan, Colinda is based on a 17th century manuscript kept at Avignon Cathedral in Provence, the Noëls de Notre-Dame des Doms, as well as some noels by Nicolas Saboly (1614-1675).

To discover the album…