Woman Reading a Letter, Johannes Vermeer, c. 1663

Looking for more to read, watch, and learn about early music, art, news, and more? Check out these links.

Once a month, we will gather the top 10 links from the Bonus Content section in our weekly newsletter for Premium subscribers, Tafel Notes.

  1. READ + LISTEN BBC Music Magazine lists their six favourite pieces of Christmas choral music.
     
  2. READ The Guardian reviews the Masterpieces from Buckingham Palace exhibition, opening today at The Queen’s Gallery, with works by Vermeer, Rubens, Rembrandt, and other masters.
     
  3. READ Browse this list of the greatest classical music recordings released of 2020, as chosen by the BBC Music Magazine critics.
     
  4. READ Not getting enough of Handel’s Messiah? Against the Grain Theatre (ATG) is proud to present Messiah/Complex: a bold, virtual interpretation of the composer’s masterpiece, showcasing multilingual translations, and featuring a diverse cast of soloists and choirs from every Province and Territory across Canada. Available to stream until January 31, 2021.
     
  5. WATCH Want a little more Christmas music? Enjoy Lang Lang’s performance of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248: X. Sinfonia (Arr. Saradjian).
     
  6. READ The earliest known Church of England hymn by a female composer, written in 1785, was unearthed, and will be performed in an upcoming Christmas concert.
     
  7. WATCH Enjoy this behind-the-scenes glimpse of the filming of Noël! Noël! from the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and Brandenburg Choir.
     
  8. WATCH Have you seen the Nutcracker in the city yet? The National Ballet of Canada's wooden friend has been making appearances across Toronto landmarks and attractions, including our Bloor Street Cultural Corridor partner, the Royal Ontario Museum.
     
  9. READ + LISTEN The New York Times asked some of their favourite artists to choose the five minutes or so they would play to make their friends fall in love with Ludwig van Beethoven.
     
  10. READ Jan Swafford joins NPR for an all-Beethoven "take-over" edition of All Songs Considered to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the composer's birth.

Image: Woman Reading a Letter, Johannes Vermeer, c. 1663 courtesy of The Rijksmuseum.

 

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