The 2024 TORCH SONGS & RHAPSODIES season comes to a pinnacle with our final concert On Wenlock Edge. Six accomplished musicians share the stage — tenor Miles Mykkanen, violinists Suzy Perelman and Will Curry, violist Molly Goldman, cellist Jessica Wang, and pianist Adam Rothenberg. Prepare to be enchanted by the haunting melodies of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “On Wenlock Edge”, electrified by show-stopping operatic arias, and swept off your feet by your favorite Broadway showtunes.
WHAT IS ‘ON WENLOCK EDGE’?
In 1908, Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 – 1958) studied in Paris under Maurice Ravel, a leading figure in French music. This experience, combined with Vaughan Williams’ lifelong interest in Tudor English music, influenced his composition, “On Wenlock Edge”. Completed in 1909 for tenor, string quartet, and piano, and later revised for tenor and orchestra between 1918 and 1924, the piece features poems from A.E. Housman’s “A Shropshire Lad”.
The song titles, indicated by Roman numerals, correspond to Housman’s poems:
- XXXI “On Wenlock Edge”
- XXXII “From Far, from Eve and Morning”
- XXVII “Is My Team Ploughing”
- XVIII “Oh, When I Was in Love with You”
- XXI “Bredon Hill” (first line: “In summertime on Bredon”)
- L “Clun” (first line: “Clunton and Clunbury”)
The music of “On Wenlock Edge” reflects Vaughan Williams’ duality of influences: the “French polish” acquired from Ravel and his “abiding Englishness”. It is described as both sophisticated and down-to-earth, with Vaughan Williams employing intricate instrumental effects while setting the text straightforwardly.
Overall, “On Wenlock Edge” showcases Vaughan Williams’ unique style, balancing the sophistication of his continental counterparts with England’s folk heritage. It stands as an early work from one of the greatest composers of the twentieth century.
ARTISTS
