I love Christmas which takes me back to a childhood of cold playgrounds, holidays decorations and the expectation of a stuffed stocking on the morning itself. But the feast for me has importance, whether it’s seen as legend or history: greatness in unexpected places, human strength in the weak and defenceless, the ultimate underdog story. Music can illuminate Christmas’s cheer and grace and here is a list of pieces to listen to as we celebrate fun or faith.

O Little Town of Bethlehem: This carol and a descant to two by David Willcocks are essentials at Christmas for me.

In the Bleak Midwinter: Christina Rossetti’s Victorian verse casts an inexplicable spell - wondrous, simple, rapt, distilled.

Sleighride: Christmas is about sheer good fun too, and I love American culture’s sentimental contribution to the festival: It’s a Wonderful Life, indeed!

Have yourself a merry little Christmas: The mellow side of the secular side. I find this song cheering even when surrounded by the plastic hell of December supermarkets.

Tchaikovsky 3rd Symphony (minus the first movement): Something about Tchaikovsky’s music conjures up Christmas thoughts, not just because of the Nutcracker but the childlike wonder behind the tragedy and passion of so much of his music. Balanchine took the composer’s 3rd Symphony (minus its first movement) to form the final section of his three-part ballet Jewels. “Diamonds” fills the stage with white and glitter, a vast field of snow, a heart overflowing with joy and exaltation.

Stephen Hough plays at Carnegie Hall on 15 January 2015 and the Royal Festival Hall, London on 28 April. His latest CD, In the Night is out now on Hyperion.