Christmas Once As I Remember

A family Christmas, 75 years in the making.

In 1948, a small boy called John Eliot Gardiner took part in a nativity play his mother had created at their family home in Dorset, England. Schoolchildren, farmers and local craftspeople performed a mix of carols, readings and mime every Christmas for years. Decades later, Gardiner – now one of the world’s most celebrated conductors – has turned those childhood memories into a concert programme. Once As I Remember gathers centuries of Christmas music from across Europe – sung in Latin, English, German and more – and weaves it into something deeply personal, joyful and full of warmth.

Room: Grand Auditorium