A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College, Cambridge is one of the world's most famous choral occasions. Taking place on Christmas Eve in the iconic chapel, the reflective, moving and ultimately joyful journey through music and scripture is broadcast annually to millions. For this special edition of the Gramophone Podcast, Editor Martin Cullingford met with Director of Music Daniel Hyde to explore what makes this service so beloved, and to talk more generally about the acclaimed choir. 

You can listen to the Podcast above. To hear other Gramophone podcasts, or to subscribe for free to new editions, search for 'Gramophone' in your Podcast App of choice, or visit Gramophone's page on Apple Music podcasts.

You can hear A Festival of Nine lessons and Carols from the chapel of King's College, Cambridge on BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service on Christmas Eve at 3pm (UK time), and you can also hear it at 1pm on BBC Radio 3 on Christmas Day. Meanwhile, you can enjoy the recent album from the choir, In the Bleak Midwinter: Christmas Carols from King's, from which all the musical excerpts in the podcast were taken, via Apple Music below: