Tsolainou draws a parallel to "The Perfect Storm," the big-sea thriller about a group of commercial fishermen who get caught in an unusually intense North Atlantic storm. With its bold fanfares, massive choral passages and Whitman's powerful narrative, the "Sea Symphony" unfolds almost cinematically. The repertoire is filled with similar examples, ranging from Debussy's "La Mer" and Elgar's "Sea Pictures" to Britten's "Four Sea Interludes" and Hanson's "Sea Symphony." Vaughan Williams was one of many composers inspired by the vastness, majesty and power of the sea. If your attention is brought to it, you end up singing in a much different way." Vaughan Williams does some wonderful things with the text. "I can't help but get all these pictures in my mind when we're singing. "It is so picturesque every reference to the sea or the ships creates a vivid image. "There's such a wonderful majesty in this work," said Constantina Tsolainou, Canterbury's music director. The symphony calls for massive blocks of choral sound throughout many of its passages, leaving few opportunities for the singers to catch their breath. Insiders refer to Vaughan Williams' 65-minute "Sea Symphony" as a really "big sing." But it's not just the work's length that implies such a designation. Canterbury," the season's concerts will spotlight music of a nautical nature. The Vaughan Williams program is the first of four concerts scheduled during the choral society's 34th season. In the early 1900s, the British composer devoted more than six years to his "Sea Symphony," an epic work for soprano and baritone soloists, large chorus and orchestra.Ĭanterbury Choral Society will open its 2002-03 season with Vaughan Williams "A Sea Symphony," which will feature the 175-member chorus, the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and soloists Sara Seglem and Philip Lima. Walt Whitman's descriptive words paint vivid pictures about the vastness and power of the sea, qualities that inspired Ralph Vaughan Williams to compose his first symphony. "Sail forth, steer for the deep waters only/ For we are bound where mariner has not yet dared to go / And we will risk the ship, ourselves and all."
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