The Messiah and pals are upon us again

It’s December, which means the Messiah and pals are upon us again. Who are the pals of the Messiah? Bach and Vivaldi for sure. Sometimes Vaughan Williams gets invited to play, along with Puccini, but Christmas classical music is by and large a Baroque affair.

All three of the Christmas super-composers will be played December 7 on the second Sunday of Advent. Vivaldi is hanging with the Baptists at College Avenue Baptist (4747 College Avenue) on Sunday. Bach is in charge at First United Methodist (2111 Camino del Rio South) in Mission Valley while Handel, feeling ecumenical, is abandoning his Protestant roots to join the Catholics at St. Elizabeth Seton (6628 Santa Isabel Street) in Carlsbad.

The Messiah in Carlsbad is a La Jolla Symphony sing along. The 800-seat venue at St. Elizabeth's fills up in a heartbeat so get there early or be prepared to stand.

The Bach Christmas Oratorio was originally written as five separate cantatas to be performed on five separate days. We can’t go to church that often these days so it is traditional to present all five days in one go. The concert does have some cuts in order to keep the length right at two hours. The orchestra at the Methodist concert is always a solid band of symphony musicians.

The San Diego Festival Chorus and Orchestra is performing Vivaldi’s Gloria at the Baptists' house. The Vivaldi is mercifully concise and is being paired with Robert Shaw’s Many Moods of Christmas. The Shaw piece is a medley arrangement, or “mash up,” of Christmas carols. Thanks for that one, Glee.