A Christmas Offering

Commissioned by Britten Pears Arts and first performed by Pembroke College Chapel Choir, Esther Beyer and Anna Lapwood in Snape Maltings Concert Hall on 7 December 2024. Co-commissioned by Pembroke College, Cambridge and Anna Lapwood (Director or Music).

Programme Note

Inspired by Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols, Arakelyan’s nine-movement A Christmas Offering is a Christmas celebration of contrasting works – ranging from energetic movements, such as Alleluia!, to contemplative moments, such as Out of the East, and heartfelt settings such as There is No Rose. Based on Medieval English poetry, the musical language includes allusions to this sound world.

Performance Notes

Intended as a companion piece to A Ceremony of Carols, this composition is flexible to accommodate the performance contexts:
- the harp part may be played by the piano,
- an upper voices only version is also available,
- In the premiere performance, the Gregorian chant version of Gaudete was sung as a procession of male voices, however the inclusion of a procession is dependent on the conductor’s choice and the composition may also begin with the composed version of Gaudete!, if a procession is omitted. A sung procession of the Gregorian chant may be included at the end, if desired.
- the compositions can be sung from beginning to end, as standalone pieces, or in smaller groups. Though any groupings are left to the discretion of the conductor, the following may be a useful starting point:

o Movements 1-9: approx. 30 minutes
o Movements 1-2, 6-9: approx.. 20 minutes
o Movements 1-2: approx. 5 minutes

CONTENTS:

GAUDETE (Gregorian chant) 1a
GAUDETE! (SATB and harp) 1b
THERE IS NO ROSE (SATB and harp) 10
ALLELUIA! (SATB and harp) 19
MARY, FLOWER OF FLOWERS ALL (SATB and harp) 29
INTERLUDE (harp solo) 41
TE DEUM LAUDAMUS (SATB and harp) 43
OUT OF THE EAST (SA and harp) 56
JESU, JESU (SATB) 72
NOW SING WE WITH ANGELIS (SATB and harp) 77