About the performance
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra perform Carol Of The Bells
Performed by the world-renowned Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Peter Breiner, and recorded at BBC Television Centre, On Air bring you a beautiful rendition of the iconic ‘Carol Of The Bells’ to watch for free above.
‘Carol Of The Bells’ has become synonymous with the Christmas season. Most famously used in the Macaulay Culkin film 'Home Alone', it has also featured in the 1999 version of ‘A Christmas Carol’, in The Muppets ‘Ringing of the Bells’, in the Tim Allen film ‘The Santa Clause’, and many other festive favourites.
Composed by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych in 1916, ‘Carol Of The Bells’ is characterised by its four-note ostinato, and tells the story of promise, of hope and better times ahead.
On Air have three further performances by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Peter Breiner available to watch. All three feature Igor Stravinsky compositions, and all three are available to enjoy in 4K UHD with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos technologies. 'The Firebird' and ‘Petrushka’ are available to watch now on demand, while 'The Rite Of Spring' will be available to stream from December 22.
About the orchestra
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s (RPO) mission to enrich lives through orchestral experiences that are uncompromising in their excellence and inclusive in their appeal, places it at the forefront of music-making in the UK and internationally. Typically performing approximately 200 concerts a year and with a worldwide live and online audience of more than 60 million people, the Orchestra play a broad repertoire that enables it to reach the most diverse audience of any British symphony orchestra. Whilst artistic integrity remains paramount, the RPO is unafraid to push boundaries and is equally at home recording video game, film and television soundtracks and working with pop stars, as it is performing the great symphonic repertoire.
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s mission is to place orchestral music at the heart of contemporary society and, through collaboration with creative partners, foster deeper engagement with communities to ensure that live orchestral music is accessible to as inclusive and diverse an audience as possible. To help achieve this, in 1993 the Orchestra launched RPO Resound, which has grown to become the most innovative and respected orchestral community and education programme in the UK and internationally. In 2024, the Orchestra will move its headquarters to Wembley Park in the London Borough of Brent; this will be the realisation of its long-held ambition to embed the Orchestra in a community, in line with its mission to be a truly inclusive and contemporary international orchestra for the modern age.
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is honoured to be participating in The Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III and The Queen Consort at Westminster Abbey, London on Saturday 6th May 2023. Conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano, the Coronation Orchestra will comprise a bespoke collection of musicians drawn from orchestras of The former Prince of Wales’ Patronages, including the RPO.
About the conductor
Peter Breiner
Peter Breiner is one of the world’s most recorded musicians with over 260 CDs released and millions of albums sold. A conductor, pianist, arranger and composer, he has conducted, often doubling as a pianist, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Mozart Orchestra, the Hungarian State Radio Orchestra, the Nicolaus Esterházy Orchestra, Budapest, among many others.
Peter Breiner began to study the piano in early childhood (1961) and his exceptional artistry led to his early acceptance at the conservatory in Košice in 1971. He studied piano with L. Kojanova and composition with J. Podprocky, as well as conducting and percussion. In 1975–1981 he studied composition at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava with Prof. Alexander Moyzes, one of the most significant figures in modern Slovak music. Peter Breiner lived in Toronto, Canada, from 1992 to 2007, when he moved to New York. During the 2020 lockdown Peter moved from New York to London and began collaborating with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
