Wanted to share this performance I have fallen in love with - think it is very dynamic, with some really fun rhythms! 

I usually try to keep an eye out for the Jewish Holidays, but got a bit sidetracked this year - this video is from last year, anyway.  

"Chanukah 5776" - performed by the Nu Deco Ensemble & arranged by the Director, Sam Hyken. 

Chanukah 5776 is part of Nu Deco’s debut Holiday record, “Unwrapped,” and includes the ‘Nu’ Nutcracker movements to accompany this balanced exploration of contemporary classical Holiday music.

From Sam Hyken, a description of the parts: 

0:00 - Introduction- the introduction uses the melody of Maoz Tzur in “canon” to set the stage. A secondary motif is introduced at 0:13, which I call the 5776 motif. It’s a small theme that returns at the end, tying the pieces together. 1:23 - Al Hanissim - Usually a joyness and brisk song, I’ve set the famous melody of Al Hanissim both in a slower and in 3/4 time to bring out the richness of the melody, and provide a more haunting take. 2:44 - S’Vivon - S’Vivon is my favorite Chanukah melody, and I always felt there was inherent funk in it. The idea is to build tension around a marching groove before exploding into a hip hop groove during the climax 4:29 - Oh Chankah - I’ve been drawn to Klezmer music since I was a kid, as to me it represents the sonic environment of the culture of Judaism. To me this song has an inherent Klezmer feel, which is brought out by the screaming clarinets at 4:29. The virtuosic variation of the melody performed by mallets, is borderline impossible to play, enhancing the manic energy of the song. 5:01 - Mi-Y’Malel is set as a “musical round”, where the melody repeats itself (clarinet), chased by an identical melody (bassoon). There is a small nod to Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” at 5:45, where this melody is treated in similar fashion to his take on “Simple Gifts”. 6:23 - Chanukah is a nod to all of the fabulous big band Christmas music (Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin) famously played all holiday season. My version sets this famous melody in a 4/4 jazz Waltz setting, highlighting winds, brass and drum set. 7:19 - Maoz Tzur - Probably the most famous Chanukah melody, as it is sung every night of the holiday, I aimed to bring out the beauty of the song by adding some new harmonic adventures. Also present in this song, is the 5776 Motif (8:22) 9:05 - The Dreidel song - I wanted to give this song a manic energy, to represent the spinning of the dreidel, during children’s games. This is accomplished by both a constant speeding up, rising of key signatures, and overall chaotic fill. A tiny easter egg: The snare solo at the very end, comes from a drum cadence from my high school marching band (9:48).