It’s not often you get the chance to hear a new piece of Christmas music.

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra co-commissioned Sir James MacMillan’s Christmas Oratorio, and this Scottish composer will conduct selections from his piece in the spirit of the season. He will also lead the serene voices of the Choir of Trinity College through his other Christmas-themed composition, O radiant dawn, alongside selections from Bach’s joyous Christmas Oratorio.

In this program, imbued with ancient and modern cultures, Berlioz’s spiritually themed L’adieu des bergers shares the story of a shepherd’s farewell. Respighi’s Botticelli Triptych uses the colours of orchestral instruments to depict the striking Renaissance painting of Venus emerging from her shell, among two other Italian artworks.

The concert concludes with the ecstatic ‘Hallelujah’ chorus from Handel’s Messiah. If this leaves you in a festive mood, you can also hear the full oratorio this December – when MacMillan leads an all-Australian cast of outstanding solo voices.