A week from Saturday, baritone David Hoffman and myself on piano will present Time and the Traveler, a program of British Impressionist art songs ranging from the well-known masterpiece Songs of Travel, by Ralph Vaughan Williams, to unknown delights, such as the scarcely-heard (and still unrecorded) Valley Moonlight by Edgar Bainton (1880-1956).
Bainton is best known for And I Saw A New Heaven, a classic choral work that is popular in the Anglican musical tradition to this day. His instrumental and secular vocal works, however, were forgotten soon after his death, and only in recent decades has there been a renewed interest in his work, such as his three symphonies and finely-crafted miniatures, such as his string orchestra set Pavane, Idyll and Bacchanal. Faithful audience members of my previous recitals may recall Before Dawn, a Christmas recital by myself and soprano Juliana Brandon, where we ended the show with Bainton's rousing New Year's song Ring Out, Wild Bells, and will understand my enjoyment at revisiting his work.
There is no recording of Valley Moonlight, and I wouldn't want to spoil the revelation of hearing it live, but I can share the poem it sets. It is perhaps a mark of Bainton's taste that he found a single, untitled poem in a cycle to set, knowing that it contained striking imagery, nearly begging to be set to music. That is no. 5 of Gordon Bottomley's Night and Morning Songs, a poem cycle I'd never heard of before but was glad to be introduced to by this song.
The song's textures are fluid and illusory, perfectly matching the mysterious, sombre tone of the source text. It's through the internet's miracle of the free exchange of media that the song, and its source text, are available today, and I like to think the song's inclusion here is a long-needed rediscovery. It isn't the only one, so join us at Queen Anne Christian Church for a recital of autumnal colors and themes of loss, loneliness and man's place in the universe.
Time and the Traveler - Saturday, November 23rd at 7:30 pm. Queen Anne Christian Church (1316 3rd Ave W, Seattle, WA 98119). $15 suggested donation at door.
~PNK
