Category Archives: CHRISTMAS, Y’ALL!!!

And here we are! Today is the day! I wish you the Merriest of Christmases and peace and love in this wondrous season.

“Why are you sitting there resting, when we’re so near the end?”–Professor Henry Jones, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade And here we are, the last day before Christmas. I’m always sorry to see this season go. We always seem a … Continue reading →

Every year I used to feature Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite…until a few years ago when I started featuring the entire Nutcracker. And here it is. Enjoy. The performance is by the ballet, orchestra, and chorus of the National Opera of Ukraine. Here, by … Continue reading →

I always think it’s important to acknowledge that for all the twinkly-lights-and-gaiety that inform our typical notion of Christmas, those things can also set Christmas up for a bit of failure. For a holiday-festival like Christmas, which centers family and … Continue reading →

I feature this work most years, and there’s a reason for that: it’s good! And if you’ve never heard it before, here’s a treat: a good and proper short British symphony, loaded with familiar Christmas tunes and old-fashioned proper Britishness, … Continue reading →

Complete the sentence: I love ____ and yet I don’t partake enough of it! For me, it’s vocal music. I tend to strongly default to orchestral music for my usual listening, and there’s not anything exactly wrong with that…after all, there is … Continue reading →

Speaking of “Lucky finds by the YouTube algorithm”, we have this wonderful rendition of one of my absolute favorite Christmas songs of all time. AND, it has the correct lyrics! (I won’t repeat the rant this year, but if you’re … Continue reading →

Fifty-six years ago today, the greatest James Bond movie ever made, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, premiered. I have written about OHMSS extensively here and also here (as part of my Definitive Ranking Of All The Bond Films), so I won’t go … Continue reading →

Longtime followers of this site may recall that as Christmas draws nearer–and as of this posting, we’re less than ten days out–this feature shifts focus to be more and more reflective of my sentiment regarding Christmas. This is when old … Continue reading →

A harpsichord will have around 61 keys. Some more, some less. A piano famously has 88 keys…but not always. The Bosendorfer company makes pianos with up to 97 keys. A pipe organ can have as many as 200 keys…and adds … Continue reading →