Welcome Spring from 2002
featuring Midori and VocalEssence
Listen to the May 4, 2002, show
This week, we’re thinking spring and traveling back to 2002 for a show that was performed live from the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, with classical violinist Midori and the Ensemble Singers of the Plymouth Music Series (VocalEssence).
Highlights include “Blue Boppin’” from Pat Donohue, “Sentimental Gentleman from Georgia” from Andy Stein, “Romance at the Ryman” from Rich Dworsky, plus “El Hambo” and “Welcome Spring” from VocalEssence (Ensemble Singers of the Plymouth Music Series), and “Mélodie” from Midori. We also hear about brain surgery and fishing and married life — and the latest News from Lake Wobegon. Listen to the show.
Born in Osaka, Japan, MIDORI took up the violin early; when she was 11 years old Zubin Mehta heard her play and invited her to be a guest soloist on the New York Philharmonic’s traditional New Year’s Eve concert. She received a standing ovation and the impetus to begin her career, which has now brought her to the great stages of Europe, North America, and the Far East. And along with that, a generous dose of praise and respect.
She has recorded with the Berlin Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, the Israel Philharmonic, as well as releasing a number of solo and ensemble projects. Her recent recordings include Beethoven Sonatas for Piano and Violin, with Jean-Yves Thibaudet.
THE ENSEMBLE SINGERS OF THE PLYMOUTH MUSIC SERIES (VocalEssence) was founded in 1969 by Philip Brunelle as an arts outreach program of Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis. Aaron Copland came to conduct his choral works that first season, and the group has been known for innovation ever since, committed to exploring repertoire beyond the “top ten classical hits.”
They perform seldom-heard but important works of the past, and they keep a parallel commitment to today’s composers. The Plymouth Music Series has hosted the annual Chorus America Conference, and the Ensemble Singers represented the United States at the July 1999 World Choral Symposium in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Despite its global influence, VocalEssence has maintained a local focus — consistently pioneering ways to strengthen Minnesota’s community through top-tier musical experiences.
Here are the lyrics to “Welcome Spring” from this week’s show.
(to: “Now is the month of Maying” by Thomas Morley)
O welcome spring and summer
The sunshine makes us dumber
Fa la …
The grass is slowly dyin’
Beneath the dandelion …
All creatures green and slimy
Come slithering close by me …
The sun and heaven’s dome a
Cause of carcinoma …
I hear mosquitoes whining,
The poison ivy shining …
Bacteria and virus
Attempting to retire us …
The bears in irritation
Awake from hibernation …
The wasp and hornet swarming,
Tornado clouds are forming …
Without refrigeration,
There's such an infestation …
The deer ticks resurrected
With Lyme disease infected …
I just saw a dark tick,
I’m heading for the Arctic …
© Garrison Keillor 2002
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