The Night Before Christmas (Dai)

The Night Before Christmas is an orchestral work written by the American composer Aaron Dai in 2006. The work is performed by a full orchestra and a narrator reading Clement Clarke Moore's 1823 poem "'Twas the Night Before Christmas."

History

The Night Before Christmas premiered in New York City on December 2, 2006[1] with The Chelsea Symphony and actor Richard Kind. It has since been narrated by Ana Gasteyer (2007), David Hyde Pierce (2008),[2] Charles Busch (2009),[3][4] Andrea Martin (2010),[5] Rachel Dratch (2011), Mo Rocca (2012),[6][7] Victor Garber (2013),[8] BD Wong (2014), Seth Rudetsky (2015),[9] Caroline Rhea (2016),[10] Judy Gold (2017),[11] Annie Golden (2018),[12] and Mario Cantone (2019).[13]

Moore's poem was selected partly due to the nominal connection between the author's home and the orchestra that would debut the musical work. "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" was penned in 1822 on Moore's country estate—named "Chelsea"—which eventually became the Manhattan district Chelsea,[14] which, in turn, provided the name for The Chelsea Symphony. Dai's The Night Before Christmas premiered less than two blocks from the site of the original poem's writing.

Instrumentation

The Night Before Christmas is scored for a narrator and an orchestra, including:

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References
  1. "Clive on classical". Thevillager.com. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
  2. Archived July 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Charles Busch Leads THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS with The Chelsea Symphony, 12/11". Broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
  4. "ONSTAGE & BACKSTAGE: Kristin and Christiane". Playbill.com. 2009-12-07. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
  5. "ONSTAGE & BACKSTAGE: Being "Part of It All"". Playbill.com. 2010-12-06. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
  6. "Mo Rocca joins Chelsea Symphony for Annual Holiday Concert, 12/7". Broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
  7. "Chelsea Symphony Offers Holiday Music". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-01-22.
  8. "Just Do Art, Nov. 27, 2013". Chelseanow.com. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
  9. "An Early Blast of Christmas Cheer from Tree Lightings to Holiday Concerts". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-01-22.
  10. "Rhea Shines at Chelsea Symphony Holiday Concert". Chelseanow.com. 2016-09-27. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
  11. "The Chelsea Symphony to Play Ravel, Smetana, and Mozart with Judy Gold". Broadwayworld.com. 2017-11-17. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  12. "The Chelsea Symphony to Feature Annie Golden in THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS". Broadwayworld.com. 2018-11-26. Retrieved 2019-01-08.
  13. "The Chelsea Symphony's Annual Holiday Concert Returns December 6 Featuring Mario Cantone". Broadwayworld.com. 2019-11-04. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  14. Nissenbaum, Stephen (1997). The Battle for Christmas. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-679-41223-9.
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