A Classical Holiday Mashup

This time of year, there are more and more performances of The Nutcracker, Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Handel’s Messiah… If you don’t have the kind of time it takes to attend full shows in person, here’s a cut-down and mashed up sampler-plate for you.

Certainly there are other seasonal “chestnuts” (roasting on an open fire) but these three in particular seem to be perennial crowd-pleasers, and for some, the holiday season isn’t complete without seeing one or more of them.

Giancarlo Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors has the distinction of being the first opera ever written specifically for television, and had its premiere on Christmas Eve, 1951. It tells the story of a young shepherd boy and his mother, who offer the three kings a place to stay on their way to Bethlehem.

Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker is a seasonal mainstay of almost every ballet company – with dances associated with the movements of the Suite, plus plenty more – including an enormous Christmas tree, dancing mice, and the title Nutcracker, who is actually a prince.

Handel’s Messiah was written in an astonishing 24 days (although he did borrow from music he’d already written), and remains a towering example of oratorio. One of the popular ways audiences can experience Messiah is by participating in a sing-along performance, as part of the chorus.