As a blanket of snow settled over the region this weekend, St. Louisans woke up with Mariah Carey’s iconic “It’s TIIIIIIIIIME” jingle ringing in our ears. It’s officially holiday music season.
While classic songs such as Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” are a must every December, they aren’t the only — or even the best — jams out there. To suss out some holiday tunes with a different vibe, St. Louis Public Radio reached out to the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Jazz St. Louis.
Spice up your holiday listening experience with the following playlists of songs Jazz St. Louis musicians will perform this season and what St. Louis Symphony Orchestra musicians are listening to.
Then embrace the full musical experience by attending a show at the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Jazz St. Louis.
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Some of the musicians shared why they chose their musical selection:
Stéphane Denève, music director
“Waltz of the Flowers” from “The Nutcracker” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
“It captures the dreaminess of the Christmas spirit. You have this feeling of coziness and of a fairy tale under the bedcovers. I love it. ‘The Nutcracker’ is a piece I can hardly remember hearing at another time of year.”
Julie Thayer, horn
“Ave Maria” by Franz Biebl
“Frankly, it reminds me of Christmas because a chorus performed it at a SLSO holiday concert in 2016. It’s such a beautiful piece.”
Robert Walker, clarinet
“Christmas Tree” from “The Nutcracker” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
“I go back to ‘The Nutcracker’ around the holidays when I need a kickstart of wintry nostalgia. This particular recording with the Russia-based Mariinsky Theatre has a certain authenticity to it. Because I know I'm hearing musicians who are the direct musical descendants of Tchaikovsky, it makes me feel closer to the true spirit of the work. My favorite movement is the ‘Christmas Tree’ because something about it is so evocative. I can see the big fir tree in a cozy, Russian parlor, dimly lit except for the radiance of a crackling Yule log in the fireplace.”
Jennifer Nitchman, flute
“This is My Box” from “Amahl and the Night Visitors” by Gian Carlo Menotti
“This opera tells the story of a poor family and a young shepherd boy being visited by the Three Kings who are following the Star of Bethlehem to bring gifts to ‘a wondrous child.’ The [shepherd boy], Amahl, ends up going on the journey with the kings. ‘This is My Box’ was my favorite moment of the opera when I was a child.”
Hank Skolnick, associate librarian
“Sir Roger de Coverley” by Frank Bridge
“This is by far my favorite holiday-related piece of classical music. Written for string quartet or string orchestra, it includes both a Christmas tune and an ingenious quote of 'Auld Lang Syne.' The title is taken from the words to a traditional English folk song ‘Sir Roger de Coverley, A Christmas Dance’ composed by John Playford in 1685.”
Jonathan Reycraft, trombone
“Troika” from “Lieutenant Kijé” (suite) by Sergei Prokofiev
“It’s all about those sleigh bells and the melody, which invokes a feeling of winter cheer.”
Jazz St. Louis
Check out Jazz St. Louis’ rendition of classic songs on its holiday programming specials:
Nicole Henry will return to Jazz St. Louis for this month’s NextSet programming on Dec. 20 and Dec. 22. You can listen to her previous performance here:
