An ambitious but overwrought Magnificat – plus the best of December’s classical concerts

It’s that time of year when orchestras can set aside all thoughts of being “challenging” with a good conscience, and bring in the crowds with Messiahs and Johann Strauss. But not even Christmas can stand in the way of the BBC Symphony Orchestra’s ambition, and last night it offered a very different seasonal celebration. We were offered a newly composed setting of the Magnificat, that familiar prayer of the Virgin Mary when she learns the child she bears is to be the saviour of the world.