If this was the last concert I was able to enjoy before civilization crumbled, I might be well satisfied. But let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
I am confident in my assertion that Ralph Vaughan Williams, as an enthusiastic promoter of community musicmaking (he directed an amateur choir for nearly 50 years), would have been delighted by last night’s performance of “A Sea Symphony,” featuring the Wayne Oratorio Society and friends, at Wayne Presbyterian Church in Wayne, PA.
The 140-voice choir (established in 1948) performed with great enthusiasm, and singers and orchestra were well-conducted by John Grecia, who led the score as if he had known it his entire life. The vocal solos (there are plenty of them) were sung, with commitment, by soprano Melanie Sarakatsannis and baritone Nicholas Provenzale, and the orchestra acquitted itself heroically on what I understand was minimal rehearsal.
If you ever wanted to hear this piece live (which I myself have only encountered once before in concert), I think you will be glad you made the trip. There will be a second performance at the church tonight at 7:30. Get there early, because last night the venue was packed to the rafters. And bring a free will offering for the orchestra, which certainly earns its gas money.
Thank you, Wayne Oratorio Society. Someday in the future I would love to hear RVW’s “Hodie” – if civilization endures.
Want a taste? Somebody shared a clip on Facebook:
Music at Wayne Pres
FUN FACT: In 1932, Vaughan Williams was a visiting lecturer, right down the road, at Bryn Mawr College. The texts of these lectures were collected into the volume “National Music.” My copy was autographed by the composer’s wife and sometimes creative partner, the poet and author Ursula Vaughan Williams (née Wood).
