Here in England it's beginning to turn rather dark and chilly, which is all the more reason for settling down somewhere warm and comfortable with some good music. However, perhaps we should also pay due respect to the passing of the seasons before global warming makes a complete nonsense of them, so this week's selection is on a decidedly cool theme! Play now 
Schubert: Winterreise
Where else to begin but with Schubert's seasonal journey? This song cycle is an undisputed masterpiece and is sung here in its entirety by the incomparable Jose van Dam. You can download the entire album to listen to at leisure.
Shostakovich: Winter
Shostakovich's atmospheric song cycle 'From Jewish Folk Poetry' is criminally underperformed at present, so here's a fine sample from a classic recording. Do explore the other songs in the cycle, which is something of a buried treasure.
Prokofiev: Winter Fairy
A popular item from Prokofiev's catalogue of piano music, played with great refinement by Frederic Chu.
Vivaldi: Winter (II:Largo)
No, wait, come back! This isn't the usual trundling-out of this excellent but massively over-recorded suite. Instead, it's a highly effective arrangement for recorder quartet. The whole album is a delight.
Purcell: 'Winter' from The Fairy Queen
A suitably icy reading from the Symphony of Harmony and Invention under Harry Christophers, seemingly mindful of its place in the overall narrative of Purcell's opera.
Robert Morris: Return to Cold Mountain
By way of complete contrast, here's a piece from an Anglo-British composer best known as an academic theorist but whose sparse, haunting piano pieces will appeal to anyone who likes modern music.
Gary Tole and the Legends of Swing: Baby It's Cold Outside
Any list of this kind has to include this swing classic! What better excuse could there be to persuade the object of your affections not to go home just yet?
Traditional Folk: A Winter with Frost Patterns on the Windows
Hungarian gypsy music is an endless source of evocative melodies, none more so than this example. Do enjoy the rest of the album as well.
