Featured on the program of Music on the Hill’s upcoming concert, Songs of Love and Springtime, is The Rose by Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo, setting text by English poet Christina Rossetti.
The Rose
The lily has a smooth stalk,
Will never hurt your hand;
But the rose upon her brier
Is lady of the land.
There's sweetness in an apple tree,
And profit in the corn;
But lady of all beauty
Is a rose upon a thorn.
When with moss and honey
She tips her bending brier,
And half unfolds her glowing heart,
She sets the world on fire.
Christina Rossetti (1830 - 1894) was an English romantic poet. Her poetry is beautiful, with a flowing, lyrical quality that lends the poetry well to music. You may recognize her as the poet of the well known Christmas carols In the Bleak Midwinter by Gustav Holst and Love Came Down at Christmas.
The Rose is mysterious and deceptively simple; its sweet verses mask something else, something just below the surface. Gjeilo’s arrangement, with flowing piano accompaniment, and unfolding choral harmonies and dissonances bring the words to life, and ignite in the listener feelings that the poetry was perhaps striving to express. Ola Gjeilo describes The Rose as his favorite Christina Rossetti poem.
Although Norwegian by birth, it is perhaps Ola Gjeilo’s adopted country of America that has influenced the composer’s distinctive soundworld the most, evolving a style that is often described as cinematic and evocative, with a lush, harmonious sound.
We hope you will join us on Friday, April 28 at 7:30 p.m. to hear this beautiful music on Songs of Love and Springtime.