It might cheer the spirits of our over-stressed EU leaders this weekend if they were allowed time out from their delicate financial machinations to listen to the Day of Christmas Music broadcast on Radio 3 on Sunday and in the other 55 countries of the European Broadcasting Union (set up in 1950 as a cultural balance to the economic community). This annual flit round the countries of the union is always a refreshing antidote to the festive frazzle; an upmarket Eurovision with snatches of announcements in exotic languages as a reminder of the spirit of co-operation. If you tune in at noon, you’ll hear the Middle East Peace Orchestra playing Christian, Muslim and Jewish tunes in a church in Copenhagen, before the broadcast moves on to Helsinki, where the singers will be pouring scorn on the cosmic darkness by recreating music from the Mediterranean.
In this bumper box of 12 radio crackers, I’ll also make sure not to miss Sheila Hancock reading a selection of the poems which U.A.
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