Mikko Franck – A festive Concert turned Memorial for Kurt Masur.

Over to Paris this Christmas Eve for a concert by The Radio France Philharmonic conducted by Mikko Franck.

Mikko Frank decided to dedicate this concert to conductor Kurt Mazur, who died a few hours before the start of this performance, recorded on December 19th. When he took over as music director of the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra in September, Mikko Frank was determined to organize a Christmas concert with his orchestra. This was undoubtedly inspired by his native Finland, where Lapland stretches to the north, the boreal region which, according to popular legend, is the home of Father Christmas and his reindeer.

Mikko Frank conceived this concert as a celebration, a vibrant Christmas bouquet bursting with color. Nearly every musical tradition will be represented, from excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker and Bach’s Magnificat and Christmas Oratorio to Christmas-inspired choral pieces such as the Shepherds’ Farewell to the Holy Family from Berlioz’s L’Enfance du Christ, all the way to Sleigh Ride by the American composer Leroy Anderson.

There will also be great pieces from Handel’s Messiah, music by Camille Saint-Saëns, and even some traditional Christmas carols, such as “He is born, the Divine Child”, perhaps one of the best known, which is indispensable at this time of year. From a liturgical point of view, Christmas is the equal of Easter, Pentecost, or All Saints’ Day. And yet, the Nativity has always been the most popular of Christian holidays, a popularity that owes much to the tradition of Christmas carols, simply because, unlike carols reserved for other holidays, the tradition of Christmas caroling has gradually taken on a secular character; it has gradually moved beyond the Church.

And the old Christmas carols have been passed down in the collective memory since the 16th century. We observe this phenomenon everywhere, among our European neighbors, with the Christmas Carols of the Anglo-Saxons, the Villancicos in Spain, the Weihnachtslieder in Germany, etc.

So enjoy the concert – grab some Christmas Cheer and dive into the spirit of the season.

And to all a good night: