English Art Song

This concert celebrates the saxophone quartet through a varied program, revealing all the richness of an ensemble that is at once virtuosic, expressive, and surprisingly versatile.

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

Born in the late nineteenth century, English Art Song is part of a rich tradition rooted in English poetry, from Shakespeare to Tennyson, and in Schubert's romantic legacy. Composed 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 luminous and profound inspiration from English folklore and landscapes. Roger Quilter captivates with the elegance and sensitivity of his melodies. Benjamin Britten, for his part, renewed the genre in the twentieth century with more modern, theatrical writing serving texts of great intensity. Madeleine Dring, composer and pianist, brings a singular and personal voice to this repertoire with melodies of immense finesse.

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

Coordination : Natallia Yeliseyeva