English Art Song

English Art Song occupies a singular place in the history of vocal music. Through a programme blending lyricism, elegance and expressiveness, the students bring to life songs inspired by great English poetry and reveal the subtlety of the dialogue between voice and piano.

This concert showcases the saxophone quartet through a varied programme that reveals the full range of an ensemble that is at once virtuosic, expressive and remarkably versatile.

English Art Song invites listeners to discover a vocal repertoire of great refinement, in which music serves English poetry. Through works by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Roger Quilter, Benjamin Britten, Madeleine Dring and other composers, the students explore an intimate, subtle and deeply expressive musical world.

Born at the end of the nineteenth century, English Art Song belongs to a rich tradition rooted in English poetry, from Shakespeare to Tennyson, and in the Romantic legacy of Schubert. Written for voice and piano, this music is distinguished by the delicacy of its writing, the richness of its harmonies and the subtlety of the dialogue between text and music.

Ralph Vaughan Williams draws a luminous and profound inspiration from English folklore and landscapes. Roger Quilter charms with the elegance and sensitivity of his melodies. Benjamin Britten, for his part, reinvigorates the genre in the twentieth century with a more modern and theatrical writing, in the service of texts of great intensity. Madeleine Dring, a composer and pianist, brings a singular and personal voice to this repertoire, with songs of great finesse.

This project highlights the dialogue between voice, text and music, and allows young singers to deepen their work on interpretation, diction and expression, while discovering the diversity and modernity of the English song.

Coordination: Natallia Yeliseyeva