Play loudly throughout the opening and conclusion, relishing the discords and slightly exaggerating the off-beat chords, but not so loudly that the bass and contrabass flutes are overwhelmed. (The latter can be replaced by a second bass flute.) Overall, the effect is intended to be reminiscent of a bunch of well-meaning but somewhat inebriated gallery musicians in a nineteenth-century English country church on Christmas Eve. It would make a fine encore.