VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Toward the Unknown Region

British music in the late 1890s was liberating itself from heavy German influence. Those at the forefront of this movement were Edward Elgar and Hubert Parry, both of whom wrote choral music in a quintessentially British style; the latter even encouraging Vaughan Williams to write music “as befits an Englishman and democrat”. Vaughan Williams was an undergraduate at Cambridge when he was introduced to the poetry of American poet Walt Whitman by his contemporary Bertrand Russell. The subjects of Whitman’s poetry – love, freedom, human dignity and even mysticism – intrigued Vaughan Williams, who acquired and studied editions of Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. The strength of Whitman’s writing led Vaughan Williams’ contemporary Frederick Delius to write, in 1903, a large-scale musical work Sea Drift, based on Whitman’s poetry of the sea. Himself inspired by this, Vaughan Williams considered writing such a work as well, tentatively titling it “Songs of the Sea”. However, unable to bring this to fruition, Vaughan Williams turned to another poem from Leaves of Grass called Whispers of Heavenly Death, setting a portion of its verses as a “Song for Chorus and Orchestra” titled Toward the Unknown Region in 1906. The work was an immediate success, due in most part to the masterful setting of the text to music, creating something that was greater than the sum of its parts. The music starts out apprehensive and uncertain, in modal harmonies reminiscent of British folk song. Energised by the irresistible draw of discovery, the music takes flight at the fourth stanza, no longer having “any bonds bounding us”, towards a confident, striding melody that brings the work to an uplifting close. Walt Whitman’s humanist vision of daring and endeavour, a heartfelt call to (re)discover our spirit of adventure, is a message as relevant to his time as it is to ours. (Natalie Ng) Darest thou now, O Soul, Walk out with me toward the unknown region, Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow? No map there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land. I know it not, O Soul; Nor dost thou, all is a blank before us; All waits, undreamed of in that region, that inaccessible land. Till when the ties loosen, All but the ties eternal, time and space, Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds bounding us. Then we burst forth, we float, In time and space, O Soul, prepared for them, Equal, equipt at last, (O joy! O fruit of all!) them to fulfil, O Soul. Singapore Symphony Orchestra and Chorus Mario Venzago, conductor Eudenice Palaruan, Choral Director Recorded live at the Esplanade Concert Hall, Singapore, on 2 Sep 2023. Video & audio: msm-productions (Singapore) Photo: Casey Horner/unsplash Join us as a YouTube channel member today    / @singaporesymphony