Rose Louise

This programme highlights the evolution of Christmas music: from early monastic carols such as the original plainchant of O come, O come, Emmanuel; through the beautiful 16th-century melodies Lo, how a rose e'er blooming and the Coventry Carol; to the mighty splendours of later eras as exemplified by J.S. Bach, Vivaldi and Berlioz, with Handel's Hallelujah Chorus from Messiahreigning supreme. This classic VOX recording featuring the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Robert Shaw was originally issued on the 2-LP set Nativity in 1976. The Elite Recordings for VOX by legendary producers Marc Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz are considered by audiophiles to be amongst the finest sounding examples of orchestral recordings.

This programme highlights the evolution of Christmas music: from early monastic carols such as the original plainchant of O come, O come, Emmanuel; through the beautiful 16th-century melodies Lo, how a rose e'er blooming and the Coventry Carol; to the mighty splendours of later eras as exemplified by J.S. Bach, Vivaldi and Berlioz, with Handel's Hallelujah Chorus from Messiahreigning supreme. This classic VOX recording featuring the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Robert Shaw was originally issued on the 2-LP set Nativity in 1976. The Elite Recordings for VOX by legendary producers Marc Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz are considered by audiophiles to be amongst the finest sounding examples of orchestral recordings.

UK collection of tracks from this '60s French chanteuse. From French parentage and good Royal stock (Prince Philip was her godfather), she quickly rose to 1962/1963's Pop royalty with former Shadow Tony Meehan as her recording manager producing her one and only hit, Jerry Lordan's cute as they come 'I'm Just a Baby'. She further boasted an address book that contained Paul McCartney, who she regularly hully gullied with, and Gerry Marsden, who wrote the Pacemakers' subsequent hit, 'Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying', especially for her. A bit of a Mersey beat pin up, Louise would tour with both the Beatles and Gerry and the Pacemakers later that year. The Sweet Beat of Louise Cordet collects together all of Louise's recordings for the UK Decca label including her last single featuring two very different sides to Louise - Dionne Warwick's dramatic 'Don't Make Me Over' paired with possibly her best recording, a beat style workout of Mary Wells' lyrically adventurous Motown track 'Two Lovers' featuring Jimmy Page on guitar. RPM.

Among Handel's seventeen English oratorios, Theodora (1750) is unique. The story is not taken from the Bible, it is set in the Christian era, there is no national triumph and it does not end in joy. At the end, the hero and heroine are dead, the community with which the audience identifies is in mortal danger, and the final chorus is in a minor key. As a musical drama, it is the direct ancestor of Dialogues des Carmélites . At the age of 65, Handel produced a work that was too radical and complex for most of his audience. Today, Theodora is regarded as a benchmark "thinking person’s opera", both deeply stimulating and powerfully moving.