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This is Ralph Vaughan Williams and his second wife Ursula. I did a lot of research of these two for my book. They had quite the love story!
We’re doing his Sea Symphony this spring. I believe our director John Maclay said it’s been performed in the States a total of three times? Something like that, which is insane. This piece is as enchanting as it gets. The text is from Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, which is also as good as it gets.
Pretty much all my favorite quotes about music come from Ralph Vaughan Williams. He once said to a group of school children:
“Music will enable you to see past facts to the very essence of things in a way which science cannot do. The arts are the means by which we can look through the magic casements and see what lies beyond.”
If you buy tickets from me it’s $20, otherwise it’s $25 at the door. We’re at a different church again while Grace Church undergoes renovations:
Grace Church Choral Society
A Sea Symphony
Friday, May 6th, 8pm
Saint Thomas Church
5th Avenue at 53rd
I found the picture at Dick Harrisburg’s Symphony Blogspot.
This picture is great – very magical, just like music. (And science in its own way!)
I agree, this picture is special.