Timeless Beauty: The Ash Grove (Traditional Welsh Song, Arr. Britten) | Live

Описание: Britten’s arrangement of this traditional Welsh folk song transforms a simple, nostalgic melody into something deeply expressive and dramatic. The song uses the "lonely ash grove" as a powerful symbol of a place deeply drenched with memories and a person's life journey. The narrator revisits the grove, where they met their love, but now they are older, and the grove becomes a place for memories and eventually, a final resting place. It is a beautiful reflection on beauty, grief and the passage of time. What do you think about this piece? Share your thought with me in the comments!

Composition: The Ash Grove - Benjamin Britten

Sung by Roy van Vugt (19 years old)
Piano: Jean-Baptiste Milon

The poem:

Down yonder green valley where streamlets meander,
When twilight is fading, I pensively rove,
Or at the bright noontide in solitude wander
Amid the dark shades of the lonely Ash-grove.
’Twas there while the blackbird was joyfully singing,
I first met my dear one, the joy of my heart;
Around us for gladness the bluebells were ringing,
Ah! then little thought I how soon we should part.

Still glows the bright sunshine o’er valley and mountain,
Still warbles the blackbird his note from the tree,
Still trembles the moonbeam on streamlet and fountain;
But what are the beauties of nature to me?
With sorrow, deep sorrow, my bosom is laden,
All day I go mourning in search of my love.
Ye echoes, O tell me, where is the sweet maiden?
She sleeps ’neath the green turf down by the Ash-grove.

Recorded on September 24, 2025 in the Theater aan de Schie, Schiedam during a lunchconcert.
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Hello, my name is Roy van Vugt and I am a Dutch classical singer and pianist!

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