RTÉ Radio

Saturday December 20th

OPERA NIGHT (7pm)
The Metropolitan Opera New York presents - Le Nozze di Figaro.

Sunday December 21st

CLASSICAL KIDS (7am)
As Christmas morning gets closer, we'll hear a special recording of The Night Before Christmas, told by Risteárd Cooper with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gavin Maloney. We'll also go on a sleigh ride with music by Leopold Mozart and have a Christmas singalong with RTÉ Cór na nÓg.

Tuesday December 23rd

THE LYRIC CONCERT WITH PAUL HERRIOTT (8pm)
Paul Herriott brings us some festive works in the concert this evening featuring Vaughan-Williams' Christmas Cantata and Cantatas from Stölzel's Christmas Oratorio and more.

Wednesday December 24th

Marty in the Morning (7am)
Marty takes the chill out of your early mornings with music, travel updates, competitions and news and weather. There's lots of festive fun with Marty in studio today and several stars of the music world including Paul Potts and Celine Byrne bring us their favourite Christmas tunes and season's greetings.

JAZZ ALLEY (7pm)
Christmas Eve Special in Jazz Alley: An hour of the best Christmas jazz with Donald Helme. Almost every jazzer has done a Christmas song at some stage, and Jazz Alley tries to track them down.

The Lyric Concert with Paul Herriott (8pm)
This Christmas Eve, Paul Herriott presents one of the greatest works in the secular choral repertoire - Handel's Messiah, in a concert recorded at the Danish Radio Concert House, Copenhagen Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, oratorio Danish National Chamber Orchestra Danish National Vocal Ensemble Sine Bundgaard (soprano) Alex Potter (countertenor) David Danholt (tenor) and more.

Thursday December 25th - Christmas Day

CLASSICAL KIDS (7am)
Wake up to Classical Kids this Christmas morning as The Muppets join us for a song, and we'll hear the story of The Snowman with music by Howard Blake. Plus the magical tale of The Nutcracker with music by Tchaikovsky, and we'll hear some of the wonderful school and junior choirs who entered this year's Choirs for Christmas competition.

The Rose Ensemble (2pm)
This special Christmas programme presented by Tom Crann draws from 19th-century songbooks, featuring carols of the New England colonies, Appalachian folk tunes, Southern shape-note singing, Shaker spiritual songs and the close harmonies that gave birth to bluegrass. This programme is distributed courtesy of the WFMT Network, USA.

CHANTICLEER CONCERT (3pm)
Brian Newhouse presents this special Christmas programme with the glorious voices of Chanticleer, the San Francisco-based men's choir. The music spans the globe and the centuries from France in the 1200s to new arrangements of classic contemporary carols. This programme is offered in association with American Public Media.

Friday December 26th

CHANTICLEER CONCERT (3pm)
Brian Newhouse presents this special Christmas programme with the glorious voices of Chanticleer, the San Francisco-based men's choir. The music spans the globe and the centuries from France in the 1200s to new arrangements of classic contemporary carols. This programme is offered in association with American Public Media.

MY TUNES - NATALIE CLEIN (2pm)
Aedín Gormley's guest is cellist Natalie Clein. Natalie has been awarded a number of prestigious prizes, including the Classical BRIT Award for Young British Performer of 2005. She won the BBC Young Musician of the Year (aged 16) in 1994 and in the same year was the first ever British winner of the Eurovision Competition for Young Musicians in Warsaw. She was awarded Scholarships by the Royal College of Music before completing her studies with Heinrich Schiff in Vienna. Her international career continues to gain momentum with concerts all over the world and several CDs. She is a committed mentor of young talent and has worked extensively around the world with young musicians, giving frequent master-classes and leading educational workshops

Saturday December 27th

Movies and Musicals (1pm)
A chance to hear Hollywood Greats with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and acclaimed composer-conductor Carl Davis.

OPERA NIGHT - THE NEW YORK METROPOLITAN OPERA PRESENTS VERDI'S LA TRAVIATA (7pm)
Verdi's consumptive courtesan returns in Willy Decker's timeless setting, with rising soprano Marina Rebeka takes the role of the title heroine. Francesco Demuro is Alfredo, Ludovic Tézier is Germont, and Marco Armiliato conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus.

Sunday December 28th

CLASSICAL KIDS (7am)
We've a special treat for the last Sunday of 2014, a recording of Benjamin Britten's children's opera Noye's Fludde, based on the biblical tale of Noah's Flood. It was performed as part of the Limerick City of Culture celebrations last March, and features talented young singers and musicians from schools and workshops across Limerick and Clare.

A WORLD OF SONG (7pm)
A World of Song talks to Ronnie Dunne at her home about her memories, predictions and insights into what makes a star.

NOVA (8pm)
Ian Wilson has just turned 50. In celebration of this milestone, Nova profiles this composer who works in so many musical worlds

Monday December 29th

THE ROLLING WAVE (7pm)
Join Peter Browne for some interesting tunes, songs, people and news from the world of traditional Irish music.

Wednesday December 31st

JAZZ ALLEY JAZZ PARTY! (7.10pm)
Freed of the need for restraint, Donald Helme and the Jazz Alley team see out the old year and in with the new in a rousing hour of the liveliest jazz imaginable.

THE LYRIC CONCERT WITH PAUL HERRIOTT (8pm)
Paul Herriott presents the Bill Whelan Gala which was recorded live from the University Concert Hall, Limerick in June this year

Thursday January 1st

NEWS YEAR'S DAY CONCERT - VIENNESE WHIRLS (6.30pm)
A traditional warm welcome for the New Year with the melody-filled music of the Viennese masters

Sunday January 4th

GLORIA (8pm)
Tim Thurston guides you through a millennium of sacred music featuring Gregorian chant, pure solo voices and choral masterpieces, framed around the glorious music of J.S. Bach. Celebrating Epiphany with three American groups, Anonymous 4, New York Polyphony and American Bach Soloists. The Calmus Ensemble sing Poulenc and we hear carols from around the world