Music on Christmas Morning – John Rutter

A selection of comments made by John Rutter in conversation with Andrew McGregor, on BBC Radio 3’s Record Review programme on Saturday 23 December 2023.

Music on Christmas Morning is a delightful mix of old and new, familiar and unfamiliar. You would certainly enjoy it as you’re preparing your Christmas turkey.

In Terra Pax (Finzi): It’s a work he wrote for orchestra and choir, but Martin Ford has done a very capable organ reduction of it, which will open up this excellent piece by Gerald Finzi to a wider range of choirs who perhaps can’t work with an orchestra.

Nova, Nova (Ian Farrington):
Andrew McGregor: Well that got John Rutter out of his chair – finger-clicking good!
John Rutter: It had me jumping around!

In general:
Andrew McGregor: Other highlights?
John Rutter: Goodness me, it’s all a highlight in a way, because I think after years of experience, Jeremy Backhouse knows what sort of music to choose. We’ve got music by Herbert Howells, Adrian Peacock, some guy called Rutter, and We Wish You A Merry Christmas. What could be more delightful as you cook your turkey?
Andrew McGregor: It’s a good sound as well.

About Vasari Singers:
…a well-loved part of the musical scene in this country for a number of years.