Two Holiday Masterworks: Handel’s Messiah and Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker
Dec 10, 2026, 12:00 PM ET<a href="https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/two-holiday-masterworks?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/two-holiday-masterworks?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223">smithsonianassociates.org…</a>
As winter festivities approach, Handel's Messiah and Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker remain among the season's most beloved musical traditions. Yet behind these familiar masterpieces lie stories of personal struggle, loss, social change, and controversy. In a two-part series, concert pianist Rachel Franklin explores the forces that shaped each composer's creativity and reveals why these timeless works continue to captivate and inspire audiences around the world.