‘A Wonderfully Grand Way to Hear the Familiar Carols’

For choral music lovers, two beautiful Christmas albums from British sources: CHRISTMAS FROM WORCESTER BY THE WORCESTER CATHEDRAL CHOIR and CHRISTMAS FROM SELWYN, with the CHAPEL CHOIR OF SELWYN COLLEGE.
by David McGee
 

 
 

Ought It Not To Be a Merry Christmas?

CHRISTMAS DURING THE CIVIL WAR: 'Even with all the sorrow that will forever hang, over so many households; ought it not to be, and is it not, a merry Christmas?'
by David McGee
 

 

 

Marvin Gaye Sings a Christmas Song

The story behind MARVIN GAYE's 'I Want to Come Home for Christmas,' a Vietnam Vet's appeal.
by David McGee
 

 
 

Stranger On the Shore

In 1962 British jazz clarinetist ACKER BILK penned a haunting instrumental for his daughter Jenny, changed its title and saw it sell a million copies. Here's how YouTube commenters remember it.
by David McGee
 

 

 

NASA’s Chandra Sees Eclipsing Planet in X-rays for First Time

For the first time since exoplanets, or planets around stars other than the sun, were discovered almost 20 years ago, X-ray observations have detected an exoplanet passing in front of its parent star.
by David McGee
 

 
 

Down and Dirty Strings

On his Stringtet's new album, In the Gallery, composer/guitarist JASON SEED, unites classical players, jazz freedom and imaginary folk music. Jason explains it all in our interview.
by David McGee
 

 

 

Let Us Now Speak of, and to, Turbulent Times

Speak we now of, and to, turbulent times: two World Music gems address the world as it is: ANOURA, from Mali's Anansy Cissé, and SUCH TIMES by master U.K. singer-songwriter STEVE TILSTON.
by David McGee
 

 
 

Lara St. John and Friends Do Schubert Right

The talented eccentric, LARA ST. JOHN, is back with a group of formidable friends with a 'Schubertiade,' an exciting exploration of 15 tunes written by Schubert and scintillatingly rendered on disc.
by David McGee
 

 

 

France’s Ever-Visceral Harpsichord Legacy

'These are not performances that conjure ghosts of the past: harpsichordist ADAM PEARL reveals that this music lives as viscerally today as it did two-and-a-half centuries ago.
by David McGee
 

 
 

Winter in Verse

Shakespeare, Keats, Robert Burns, Thomas Campion and Robert Frost reflect on the modds of winter. Plus seasonal-oriented cartoons starring Mickey Mouse and friends and Woody Woodpecker. Bing Crosby makes an appearance too.
by David McGee
 

 

 

A Day With Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy

Ever wonder what it would have been like to spend a day with, say, Felix Mendelssoh? Especially a day when Robert Schumann shows up? George Sampson did just that, and set down the experience for posterity.
by David McGee
 

 
 

Springing Into Spring with Leslie Evans

Spring has sprung, and so has some fine new work by illustrator LESLIE EVANS, in Carole Gerber's new book, Spring Blossoms. Stop in as JULES chats with Leslie and shows off her latest seasonal illustrations.
by David McGee