Living Classical with Tyler Kline for December 21-27, 2025

At the year’s darkest moment, the light begins to return — a quiet reminder of renewal at the heart of winter. On this special wintertime edition of Living Classical with Tyler Kline, composers respond to that turning point between stillness and motion, shadow and light.

Hour 1 gathers music that reflects the ritual and reflection of the season, with works by Thomas Beck, Reena Esmail, Leah Mullen, Melissa Hui, Daniel Gilliam, Joanna Marsh, and Kitty Xiao — composers who invite us to linger in winter’s interior world, where quiet moments give way to transformation.

In Hour 2, the focus moves outward, toward renewal and the world in flux. Some of the music turns again to images of winter weather and landscape, while other works look forward — tracing motion, warmth, and the slow return of light. Hear music by Anna Meredith, Adrianne Munden-Dixon, Kimberly R. Osberg, Melissa Dunphy, Errollyn Wallen, Arnannguaq Gerstrom, and Johanna Doderer, each offering a distinct reflection on the season’s transition.

Featuring performances by Gjermund Larsen Trio, Gesualdo Six, Tenebrae, Nimbus Trio, Ligeti Quartet, Common Sense Ensemble, Quintet Itsuki, and the Choirs of Pembroke College, Cambridge and King’s College, Cambridge; vocalist Carter Houston; pianists Parker Konkle, Sebastian Chang, and Chris Opperman; violinist Heather Thomas; cellist Cecilia Huerta-Lauf; violists Carrie Frey and Katherine Wren; flutist Helen Brew; bassoonist David Hubbard; and organist Donal McCann.

Join Tyler Kline for this special edition of Living Classical — music for the solstice, the season, and the light that follows.

Hour 1

• Sæle jolekveld (Holy Christmas Eve) by Thomas Beck (arr. Gjermund Larsen Trio) [BIS–2511]

• Reena Esmail’s A Winter Breviary [Oxford University Press]

• Winter Dusk by Leah Mullen [Self Published]

• Melissa Hui’s Solstice [New World Records–731]

• Winter from Daniel Gilliam’s Piano Trio No. 2, “Payne Hollow” [Self Published]

• Joanna Marsh’s In Winter’s House [Signum Classics–690]

• Solstice I by Kitty Xiao [MOVE–562]

Hour 2

• Solstice In by Anna Meredith [Mercury KX]

• Adrianne Munden-Dixon’s Zastrugi [Gold Bolus Recordings–70]

• Peace by Piece by Kimberly R. Osberg [Purple Cow Records–11]

• Melissa Dunphy’s Halcyon Days [Signum Classics–724]

• Peace on Earth by Errollyn Wallen [KGS–50]

• Arnannguaq Gerstrm’s Ukioq [Nordic Viola–1]

• Rauhnacht (Bläserquintett No. 1) by Johanna Doderer [BR Klassik–90009]

• Anna Meredith’s Solstice Out [Mercury KX]