Get ready to be inspired!

BSO Music Director Ric Jones will lead the orchestra in a special program of inspiring music celebrating the holidays of Christmas and Hanukkah.

The concert features the following pieces:

A Christmas Tiding	Tyler Arcari	3:15
Patapan	Kurt Heinecke	2:45
Selections from Christmas Eve Suite No. 2 – Act III, Tableau VI: The Ethereal Space 1. Ballet of the Stars     a. Mazurka     b. Procession of the Stars     c. Khorovod     d. Czardas and Rain of Shooting Stars  No. 3 – Act III, Tableau VII: Polonaise	Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov	17:30
Infectious Winds Ensemble
Il est né, le divin Enfant Reverie for Wind Quintet Oh Hanukkah!	Mark Questad Eric Ewazen Mark Questad	10:00
Back to the full orchestra
A Most Wonderful Christmas	Robert Sheldon	8:00
A Hanukkah Festival	Chris M. Bernotas	5:00
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer	Jack Bullock	2:15
A Christmas Festival	Leroy Anderson	10:00
Sleigh Ride	Leroy Anderson	3:00

Tyler Arcari

A Christmas Tiding

Arcari’s arrangement, A Christmas Tiding, is an energetic and slightly non-traditional holiday piece, melding the classic carols God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, and Twas in the Moon of Wintertime (also known as The Huron Carol, recognized as Canada’s oldest Christmas song).

It begins with a lush and subtle opening before quickly transforming into a fiery 7/8 groove, which serves as the arrangement’s primary driving rhythmic feature.

Kurt Heinecke

Patapan

The music is based on the traditional French carol, Patapan, which originally bore the title “Guillô, pran ton tamborin” (“Willie, Take Your Little Drum”). The carol was written around 1729 by Bernard de la Monnoye.

Heinecke’s arrangement is a programmatic piece that narrates the Nativity story from the shepherd’s perspective. It leverages the carol’s most famous element: its onomatopoeic refrain. The modern title, Patapan, is derived directly from this refrain.

The onomatopoeia mimics the sounds of the shepherds’ instruments:

• pat-a-pan mimics the sound of a drum.
• tu-re-lu-re-lu mimics the sound of a flute.

For instance, the first verse uses these sounds to call listeners to celebration:
Will you guide your drum and fife, Patapan, patapan, patapan,
Will you guide your drum and fife To make a joyful noise?
Tu-re-lu-re-lu, patapan, Come all ye people, wake and play.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Selections from Christmas Eve Suite

Rimsky-Korsakov’s Selections from Christmas Eve Suite is a vibrant and descriptive orchestral work taken from his 1895 opera, Christmas Eve (Noch Pered Rozhdestvom).

The source material for the opera is the classic story Christmas Eve by Nikolai Gogol, set in the Ukrainian village of Dykanka. The plot is a fantastic Christmas tale where the blacksmith Vakula must retrieve the Empress’s slippers for the beautiful Oxana, battling the Devil and a witch along the way.

The plot is a fantastic Christmas tale set in the Ukrainian village of Dykanka. It involves the handsome blacksmith Vakula, who must retrieve the Empress’s slippers for the beautiful but demanding Oxana. His journey is complicated by the Devil, a witch (Solokha), and a host of colorful village characters.

Selections from Christmas Eve Suite offers a breathtaking musical journey from the earthy, warm folk celebrations of a Ukrainian Christmas to the dazzling, glittering realms of outer space and back to the grandeur of a royal court.

The selections being presented cover both the festive village setting and the highly imaginative celestial fantasy of the opera:

No. 2 – Act III, Tableau VI: The Ethereal Space (Ballet of the Stars)

This movement is the fantastic centerpiece of the suite, depicting Vakula’s journey through space on the back of the Devil. It is pure programmatic fantasy and features a series of highly colorful dances.

• a. Mazurka: A lively Polish folk dance in triple meter to suggest the swirling motion of the stars.
  
• b. Procession of the Stars: This section often slows the pace, using lush harmonies and slow-moving string lines to create a sense of vastness and celestial grandeur, depicting the orderly movement of heavenly bodies.
• c. Khorovod: A traditional Russian folk circle dance that brings a distinctly earthy flavor to the celestial scene, suggesting a magical gathering. The music is typically flowing and lyrical.
• d. Czardas and the Rain of Shooting Stars: The Czardas is a Hungarian folk dance that shifts from a slow, melancholic opening to a rapid, fiery closing section. This climax is highlighted by quick string runs (descending scales) and percussion to audibly illustrate the spectacular “Rain of Shooting Stars.”

No. 3 – Act III, Tableau VII: Polonaise

This music is heard after the ethereal journey. The Polonaise is a stately, majestic Polish dance in 3/4 meter, characterized by a distinct rhythmic motif. It is scored with a sense of pomp and circumstance, signifying the scene at the Empress’s palace or the grand celebratory return.

Infections Winds Ensemble

Mark Questad

Il est né, le divin Enfant (He is born, the Divine Child) & Oh Hanukkah!

Mark Questad’s work is an arrangement of the traditional French Christmas carol, “Il est né, le divin Enfant.”

The carol is renowned for its pure celebration and delight, with lyrics that focus on the sheer joy of the Nativity. The popular melody first appeared in a published collection, Airs des noëls lorrains, in 1862. The lyrics of the carol were formally published slightly later, in 1875. The piece has since remained a highly popular carol in its native France and in French-speaking Canada.

Oh Hanukkah!

Questad’s arrangement of Oh Hanukkah is designed to bring the joy and festive spirit of the traditional Hanukkah song to audiences.

Oh Hanukkah! is a medley of three popular Hanukkah songs: Oh Hanukkah, based on a traditional Yiddish folk song, in which members of the ensemble show off their klezmer flare; Maoz Tzur (Rock of Ages) in a stately setting; and I Have a Little Dreidel which gives each of the members of the quintet a chance “with dreidel to play.”

Eric Ewazen

Reverie for Wind Quintet

This is a beautiful, lyrical, and well-regarded piece that showcases the composer’s characteristic approach to writing for wind instruments: rich harmony, warm melody, and expressive color. The title “Reverie” suggests a dreamy, contemplative, or meditative mood. The music is generally slow-moving, warm, and highly expressive.

Back to the full orchestra

Robert Sheldon

A Most Wonderful Christmas

Sheldon’s arrangement is dynamic and utilizes a variety of musical styles to showcase the different moods of the featured songs. For instance, Winter Wonderland has a light, easy swing feel, while I’ll Be Home for Christmas and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas are treated as warm, lyrical ballads. It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year builds to a bright, energetic Jazz Waltz and then a driving Show Style.

Chris M. Bernotas

A Hanukkah Festival

Bernotas’s A Hanukkah Festival is a popular medley that brings the traditional music of the Jewish Festival of Lights to the concert stage.

The piece seamlessly connects three traditional songs, each given a distinct musical character:

*Sevivon – The Hebrew word for dreidel (the four-sided top children spin during Hanukkah).

*Maoz Tzur – Known in English as “Rock of Ages,” it is the central Hanukkah hymn sung after lighting the menorah.

*Hanukkah – A general, joyful song about the holiday, also known as “Hanukkah, O Hanukkah.”

Jack Bullock

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Bullock’s arrangement of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a staple piece in holiday concerts, celebrated for its accessibility and festive spirit. The arrangement retains the jolly, whimsical, and cheerful character of the original song, making it an immediate audience favorite.

Leroy Anderson

A Christmas Festival & Sleigh Ride

A Christmas Festival is arguably the most famous and widely performed orchestral arrangement of Christmas carols ever written, standing as a pillar of American light concert music.

Composed in 1950 for the Boston Pops Orchestra and conductor Arthur Fiedler, Anderson himself preferred to describe the work as a “Concert Overture” built around Christmas songs, rather than just a simple medley. His aim was to give the familiar themes sophisticated instrumental treatment.

Anderson masterfully weaves together a tapestry of traditional carols and songs. The most commonly published, shortened versions include the following eight selections:

Joy to the World,
Deck the Halls,
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,
Good King Wenceslas,
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,
Silent Night,
Jingle Bells, and
O Come, All Ye Faithful

Sleigh Ride is one of the most popular and definitive pieces of American light orchestral music, instantly recognizable as a secular Christmas and winter standard. It is celebrated for its inventive instrumentation, whimsical sound effects, and enduring appeal.

The work is a brilliant example of programmatic music, where the instruments are used masterfully to tell a specific story or paint a picture of a winter outing. This is achieved through distinctive orchestral effects:

• Sleigh Bells: The most crucial component, used almost continuously to provide the rhythmic drive and the sound of the jingling harness.
• Whip/Slapstick: Imitates the cracking of a whip to urge the horse forward.
• Temple Blocks: Often used to provide the “clip-clop” sound of the horse’s hooves.

The piece famously concludes with Anderson’s signature wit, featuring a unique sound effect: the horse’s whinny or neigh. In the orchestral version, this detail is usually performed by a muted trumpet playing a chromatic glissando.