Christmas Night

Christmas Night was originally written for clarinet octet in 2020, commissioned from me by my at-the-time roommate Freda Hogan and the Illinois State University Symphonic Winds clarinet section. Even then, I had a dream of arranging the work for wind ensemble, and two years later, in 2022, I was able to make that dream a reality. The work is a humble ode to Gustav Holst's beautiful work for choir and orchestra, Christmas Day. Holst refers to his work as a "fantasy on old carols". Thus, my work might be considered a "fantasy on a fantasy on old carols." Night derives its material from the same four carols heard in Day -- Good Christian Men Rejoice, God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, Come Ye Lofty, Come Ye Lowly, and The First Noel -- and is informed in many ways by the stylistic choices made by Holst in his work. The work is also a respectful nod to the popular Minor Alterations series of works by my friend David Lovrien, as just as he does in his works, this piece takes several of the themes and flips them on their heads by varying their tonalities and meters. Most importantly, Christmas Night is meant to be an enjoyable and exciting "barn burner" with a sense of humor and a flair for the dramatic, guaranteed to turn the Christmas cheer knob all the way up to eleven.