Christmas Fantasia on Chopin’s Étude in F Major

Conductor Notes:

The subtitle of this fascinating juxtaposition is: “With traditional Christmas melodies, in the manner of the Bach-Gounod Ave Maria and other works.” Stephen Smith cleverly weaves together the unison melodies of “Joy to the World” and “O Thou Joyful Day” with Chopin’s tour de force piano étude in F major. The étude itself is unchanged from the original. The vocal melodies are delivered by half of the choir each, making for a fun, bright, and somewhat dizzying experience. If you have a concert pianist at hand for Christmas, see what you think!