Baroque Christmas delights for flute
Plus the it's annual cow and tractor show!
It’s been an exciting couple of weeks here, with the arrival of our new publication, A Baroque Christmas, as well as the village event of the year, the annual Comice Agricole.
Prize-winning cows and beret-wearing accordionists are obviously a hard act to follow, but a new book is always the culmination of months of work and something to celebrate.
A Baroque Christmas is full of lovely Christmas-themed music from Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Purcell, and Manfredini, all beautifully arranged for two flutes and piano. It’s perfect both for concerts and church settings this Christmas and I hope you will love it as much as we do.
Here’s what Chris Hankin says in her Just Flutes review:
“There is some wondrous music in this book which could be subtitled Baroque's Greatest Christmas Hits… This is such a beautiful volume which is perfect for all sorts of Christmas events. Don't miss it!”
During the summer, we recorded a few snippets at the beautiful Jardin Acoustique studios with flute friend Jonathan Slade. Here is one of my favourite arrangements from the book, Handel’s “How Beautiful Are The Feet” from the Messiah.
A Baroque Christmas is now available from music retailers worldwide and as a download package from Aurea Capra. As always, with the print edition you can also download play-along accompaniment tracks for rehearsal and duet fun.
For North American readers, the US print edition will be released next week and I’ll share a link as soon as it’s available.
Tractors on my doorstep
When the mayor asks if you’d mind a couple of tractors outside your house for the village agricultural show, what else can you say but avec plaisir?
It’s all part of the spirit of life in rural France, and long may it continue. The animals were at their finest, the produce was magnifique, and who doesn’t love a bit of folk dancing? But I probably wasn’t expecting the tractors to be quite this big, or this close…
Participants on the October edition of next year’s Flutes in France course will arrive on the day of the Comice Agricole, for an experience I feel confident no other flute course delivers! Next year’s Flutes in France courses in May and October are both fully booked, but do email me if you’d like to add your name to the pre-application list for 2026.
Best wishes,
Elisabeth