Christmas carols sit right at the heart of the festive season, whether sung around the tree or heard in a candlelit service. And while many carols date from as far back as medieval times, fresh performances and arrangements keep them forever feeling newly minted. Classical Carols Covered, where we invite artists to put a new, often contemporary spin on an existing carol or song, follows in that exciting vein. Each of the “covered” carols in this playlist offers a chance to enjoy classics in intriguing new ways, and this year we’ve asked pianist Francesco Tristano and the choir of Pembroke College, Cambridge to join the throng with performances of The Friendly Beasts and Silent Night. Alongside these two new arrangements are “covered carols” from previous years, all adding up to a powerful playlist of innovative and beautiful musicmaking. Listen and enjoy this imaginative and joyful selection in Spatial Audio. Anna Lapwood, The Chapel Choir of Pembroke College, Cambridge & Sebastian Blount, “Silent Night” Anna Lapwood: “Jonathan Rathbone’s jazz-infused arrangement of Franz Xaver Gruber’s Silent Night has been a staple of our carol services for several years. After a first verse sung by the upper voices, there’s a glorious harmonic twist from A-flat major into E for the second verse, sung by our tenor soloist, Seb Blount. In the final verse, the harmony finally settles into D-flat major, our all-round favourite key. There’s always something very special about hearing the choir sing this in a packed, silent chapel at Christmas, lit only by candlelight.” Francesco Tristano, “The Friendly Beasts” “I wanted to return to the origins of the carol, and one song from 13th-century France caught my attention. In its 19th-century version, it’s known as The Friendly Beasts, and has been covered by Harry Belafonte, Johnny Cash and Sufjan Stevens to name just a few. In my version I’ve captured the modal mood of the Middle Ages and included the solemn harmonies that we associate with Christmas carols. The underlying shuffle groove is a first for me, and I am so happy to share it with you.” Hayato Sumino, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” “My parents had a copy of The Andy Williams Christmas Album, and it always reminds me of my childhood. Last year, after moving to New York, I spent Christmas there, taking walks while listening to this album. “I decided to cover this song because it’s a timeless classic that brings me deep happiness. The festive big band sound and the flowing swing waltz fill me with excitement. While recreating this atmosphere in a piano solo can be challenging, it’s definitely one of the most enjoyable genres for me to play.” Anastasia Kobekina & Jean-Sélim Abdelmoula, “The Coventry Carol” Anastasia Kobekina: “‘Coventry Carol’ is one of the oldest Christmas songs, dating back to 16th-century England, and the music is so poignant and haunting. I love art that subverts expectations and contains a whole multitude of emotions and hidden depths of feeling behind what may on the surface appear quite simple. “The music here is basic yet evocative, and the words are filled with sorrow and loss, not what one traditionally associates with the Christmas spirit—but they are a fundamental part of the story. The carol also feels so universal, perhaps why it has remained so popular nearly 500 years later. I love what Tim Allhoff has created in this new arrangement for me—how beautifully it combines the modern and ancient.” Daniil Trifonov, “Man of the House” “I remember watching Home Alone as a kid: John Williams’ score is, of course, brilliant. I stumbled upon the album and there was one track that particularly interested me. It was ‘Man of the House’, so I decided to make a transcription of it. I made it for two pianos, but I played it all by myself: first one part and then I overdubbed another part. Later in post-production those tracks were layered together, so technically it’s two pianos playing.” SANSARA, “Peace on Earth” Choir director Tom Herring: “Christmas is always a time for connection and celebration, but in recent years I have also felt it is an important time for reflection. With several major conflicts around the world, statements of solidarity in our shared humanity feel more vital than ever. Errollyn Wallen’s ‘Peace on Earth’ is a hauntingly beautiful expression of hope for a brighter future. “The first time I heard this piece I was immediately drawn in by the mesmerising accompaniment part and the striking simplicity of the vocal line. It’s one of those pieces that stays with you once you’ve heard it, and it feels like it’s always spinning away somewhere in my memory.” Randall Goosby & Carlos Simon, “The Christmas Song” Randall Goosby (violin): “Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song has always been a favourite Christmas carol of mine. He’s the epitome of smooth, suave warmth—everything you’d want to associate with the holidays. I thought it would be the perfect occasion to blend the smoothness of Nat King Cole with the smoothness of the great Carlos Simon to create this wonderful arrangement for you all.” Carlos Simon (piano and arranger): “Of course, I thought of Nat King Cole, the swooning strings and the lush harmonic structure, but I wanted to create something that’s quite Debussy- or Ravel-like in my arrangement, with lush arpeggios and sort of a swooning melody line.” Xuefei Yang, “Ave Maria” “Just as good movies must have soundtracks to enhance the feelings, for me great holidays must have music to enrich the soul and relax the mind. I find the melody of Schubert’s Ave Maria so beautiful and touching, which is perhaps why it has been adopted over the years for many occasions, including Christmas. I arranged Schubert’s piece for two guitars, and I play both parts myself, using one guitar as my voice and the other to accompany. Lyricism is one of my trademarks, and this piece gives me the opportunity to really make the guitar sing.” The Sixteen & Harry Christophers, “Bethlehem Down” Harry Christophers (conductor): “I’ve always loved the music of Peter Warlock, and this particular carol has a special place in my heart—I remember singing it when I was a student at Oxford University. Peter Warlock composed Bethlehem Down in 1927 as an entry into The Daily Telegraph’s carol-writing competition when Warlock was in financial difficulty—and he won. I think that’s just brilliant! “Warlock’s version is just four verses for a cappella choir—what we’ve done is just add piano and violin interludes between each verse in a very atmospheric style. I think Peter Warlock would have been very pleased we did this.” Olivia Belli, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” “God Rest You Merry Gentlemen is not from my own [Italian] tradition, but its melody attracted me because of its noble and archaic character. I really like its implicit harmonic possibilities, which allow me to play between major and minor, between sweet and bitter. “In the holidays, we have our own ritual regarding music: in the morning, while we decorate the house, or cook, or wrap gifts, we love lively and rhythmic music. After lunch, which represents for us a moment of pause, we like to listen to smooth songs with a winter mood, while in the evening it’s time for traditional, sacred songs.” Maria Dueñas, “El cant del ocells” Maria Dueñas (violin): “El cant dels ocells [The Song of the Birds] was made famous by the great Spanish cellist Pablo Casals, and is a traditional Catalan song and lullaby. The original text speaks of nature’s joy at learning of the birth of Jesus, with many birds gathering to celebrate. I associate Christmas with spending time with my family and having time to reflect, so I chose a work with a nostalgic and intimate feeling—the feeling of going back home.” Sheku Kanneh-Mason, “I Saw Three Ships” “‘I Saw Three Ships’ is such a jolly, joyful tune. It’s actually a very simple tune, so it took a great arranger and pianist, Harry Baker, to make an arrangement that is actually quite epic, quite quirky and really fun to do. Having fun and playing with this classic melody was so enjoyable.” Lucienne Renaudin Vary, “Stille Nacht” “I remember playing ‘Silent Night’ with a brass ensemble when I was eight or nine and going to hear carols at Christmas concerts in London. So this piece has always been a part of my life and playing it with this incredible orchestra in this beautiful arrangement is like a dream. It’s very enchanting—you feel like you’re in a Christmas movie.” John Metcalfe, “Carol of the Bells” “‘Carol of the Bells’ was written by a Ukrainian composer called Mykola Leontovych and is based on a Ukrainian folk chant which is essentially a well-wishing song about good fortune and prosperity. I felt it was important to use this melody at a time when the people of Ukraine are experiencing so much suffering but have nonetheless shown us all amazing resilience, courage and strength of human spirit. “This is an instrumental reworking of the carol, and although there is such a powerful and immediate connection with anything that is sung, an instrumental arrangement gives you a different kind of freedom and approach. You can slow things right down without worrying about breathing and speed things up without concerns about the lyrics being understood. It’s all about texture, atmosphere and, above all, emotion.” Ola Gjeilo, “Away in a Manger” “‘Away in a Manger’ has been one of my favourite Christmas carols ever since I was a child. I grew up with an amazing recording of it on a King’s College, Cambridge album, which was the first CD my father brought home after my family got our first CD player. This piano version is based on a choral arrangement I wrote a few years ago. It takes a slightly melancholy approach, and I like the contrast between the lower register of the piano with saturated, kind of brooding chords and that beautiful light of the original carol melody.” Coco Tomita, “White Christmas” “The version of Irving Berlin’s ‘White Christmas’ I’ve chosen is a stunning arrangement originally by the legendary violinist Jascha Heifetz. There’s a sense of melancholy in the music that’s perhaps reflective of Irving Berlin’s personal life. He wasn’t well off as a child—his family struggled a lot, and to earn money Irving would sing on the streets. It was kind of the start to his career as the greatest songwriter. I’ve tried to find the feeling of this melancholy in the tone of sound, and Heifetz, of course, adds his jazzy flair and spin on it, which for me makes it extra special.” Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, “In the Bleak Midwinter” Graham Ross (music director): “Few carols express the quiet heart of Christmas more movingly than Christina Rossetti’s 1872 poem In the Bleak Midwinter. Her words heighten the intimacy of the nativity scene in a cold, wintry landscape, away from the bright lights and festive sparkle that we encounter in so many other Christmas songs. I remember singing Gustav Holst’s beautiful 1906 setting of these words as a treble chorister in my local church choir and at carol-singing events—my arrangement recasts Holst’s harmonies within a spacious piano part that is both sonorous and delicate in equal measure. “I wrote this arrangement in December 2019 whilst looking out over another beautiful white landscape: above the clouds on a flight back home to London. Looking out of a plane window, you can acknowledge both the beauty and fragility of life, and I think that some of those qualities worked their way into my arrangement of Rossetti’s poem.” Christian-Pierre La Marca, “O Christmas Tree” “‘O Christmas Tree’ means Christmas for me. When I was young, I was in a children’s choir, and we would sing all the Christmas songs, including this one, which we’d sing in French. I think there’s a version of it in any language and in any country, so I’ve always felt this carol to be very universal. And as a cellist and an artist, I feel like a citizen of the world, so with this song it feels as if I’m speaking to many of you deeply.” Peter Gregson, “The First Noel” “‘The First Noel’ is one of the most beautiful melodies. Along with the power of the harmonies that we all know and love, it ends up having this warm Christmassy feel, this mince-pies-and-mulled-wine-sounding texture. For this version, we’re working with the choir Tenebrae and a septet of strings, recording harmonics and textures to weave in and out of the vocal ensemble like little bits of tinsel on the tree.” Daniel Hope, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” “I’ve loved ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ since I was a kid. When you hear it wherever you are in the world, it transports you immediately into the cosy world of Christmas. We’re performing an all-instrumental version, newly transcribed by one of the greatest arrangers of our time, Paul Bateman. Listen out for the gorgeous string sound and the way Paul distributes the melodies and the dulcet tones of the piece between the different string instruments. I just do my best to float above it all!” Alexis Ffrench, “Still, Still, Still” “This is the most beautiful melody. For me, it evokes very special memories of a magical time of year. The tune for ‘Still, Still, Still’ first appeared in 1865 in a folk-song collection from Austria, and the words describe the peace of the infant Jesus and his mother as the baby is sung to sleep. I chose this carol because there’s a sense of holy silence that radiates from it, and it has a kind of perfect symmetry that appeals to me. It plays so beautifully on the piano, and I’m able to imbue the melody with a depth of harmony and sonorities in order to create something really magical. I didn’t want to disturb the carol too much, but just bring to it a sense of fullness.” Attacca Quartet, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” Nathan Schram (viola): “‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas’ was a song that really spoke to us. Because of everything that we’ve been through with COVID and not being able to visit family, it really hit an intimate note about finally being home for Christmas.” Amy Schroeder (violin): “Growing up, I used to sing this song with my grandparents, so it definitely makes me think about them. And the harmonies harken back to a time when traditions were being made.” Andrew Yee (cello): “I think one of the really beautiful things about this piece is that, as a string quartet, we don’t have somebody singing, so the actual bones of the song needed to be really interesting. The harmonies are just so nice, and it really stretched our imaginations for the sort of sounds we could find.”