Vaughan Williams: Hodie, A Christmas Cantata, Fantasia on Christmas Carols;

I wish more people knew about this fabulous piece. Christmas is often a painful time for classical music lovers, when Handel's Messiah, Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, and the usual carols get hauled out and overplayed to the point of insanity. There is, in fact, lots of great Christmas music that almost never gets performed or recorded, including this tuneful and brilliant cantata. This is only its second recording ever, and anyone who hears it is sure to put it on a list of holiday favorites. In fact, like all great music, it's worthy listening to for its own sake any time of the year at all. --David Hurwitz