The Christmas Collection Boulanger Trio

A musical Christmas mosaic: The Boulanger Trio celebrates 20 years of making music together

Christmas sometimes begins with the scent of freshly baked cozonac, candlelight in a church, the wonder of a decorated tree, or a song passed down through the generations. For the Boulanger Trio, the festive season is all of that and much more: a time for remembrance, for coming together and for making music together. To mark the ensemble’s 20th anniversary, Karla Haltenwanger, Birgit Erz and Ilona Kindt have compiled their very own favourite pieces for a Christmas album. It will be released on 27 November 2026 on Berlin Classics.

The three musicians’ memories take them to different places and through various stages of life. Karla Haltenwanger reflects on the cultural and religious diversity of her childhood in Romania and on a clandestine Christmas concert in December 1987. At that time, she sang Romanian Christmas carols with other young people; their religious lyrics were banned under the political system. Only now does she fully realise just how much courage her teacher showed that evening. For Haltenwanger, music has ever since been a place of hope and connection.

Birgit Erz’s images of Christmas have evolved alongside her life. They range from biscuits, Advent calendars and snow-covered walks, through Christmas under the Ghanaian sun, to festive celebrations amidst the lights of New York. New places have brought new customs and languages to the Christmas table. What remains is a sense of security and music as a shared language.

For Ilona Kindt, Christmas is closely linked to her family’s songs. Her grandmother, who was unable to study music herself, invited children to sing and make music for decades. The annual ‘Quempas’, during which small groups sang in the church with lit candles, became the festive centrepiece of the celebrations. The chorales from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio are also, to this day, an integral part of the celebrations.

These personal stories find their musical counterpart on the album. The selection ranges from familiar Christmas carols such as ‘Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen’ and ‘Adeste Fideles’, through Corelli’s Pastorale and Vivaldi’s ‘Winter’, to music from Nigeria, Andalusia, Romania, Venezuela, Ukraine and Sweden. Contemplative sounds stand alongside festive energy. Tradition meets film music. In this way, the diversity of Christmas experiences becomes audible.

Despite their personal connection to the music, the three musicians approach the pieces with the utmost expertise and high artistic standards. With a keen sense of the music’s origins and character, they adapt the works for their ensemble and shape them into chamber music. Their ensemble playing is attentive, the sound richly coloured and the interpretation precise. The trio’s long-standing familiarity with one another creates a unique resonant space. It gives rise to a musical dialogue in which every voice is heard whilst simultaneously forming part of a shared whole.

Thus, this album becomes more than just a collection of Christmas carols. It tells of childhood and family, of traditions that evolve, and of music that connects people across places and generations. A personal Christmas mosaic, compiled by three musicians who have been making music together for 20 years and are now sharing their own memories and favourite sounds with their audience.