In the fall of 1847, a French wine merchant, Placide Cappeau, was asked by his local priest to write a Christmas poem. Not long after, Placide Cappeau showed this poem, “Minuit, chrétiens,” to the ...

The story of the 1841 French ballet “Giselle” by French composer Adolphe Adam is the stuff of European fairy tales (and horror movies): vengeful young lady spirits put spells on living young men that ...

Here's a selection from a classic recording of Adolphe Adam's Giselle. Decca originally released this recording in the early '60s, and re-released it on CD earlier this year. Herbert von Karajan leads ...