KENNETH TAY Can there be any day but this

“This composition is my reflection on taking in a special moment in a garden, sometimes wishing for time to slow down for that juncture to be enjoyed for just that bit longer. In the poem, the narrator meets his beloved, decorating her path with flowers and boughs. He compares her beauty with that of the rising sun, and emphasises that the only day that matters is the present day spent together. Though the flowers wither away, his heart remains true.” - Kenneth Tay
Kenneth Tay's "Can there by any day but this" is an SSO Commission.
I got me flowers to straw thy way;
I got me boughs off many a tree:
But thou wast up by break of day,
And brought’st thy sweets along with thee.
The Sunne arising in the East,
Though he give light, & th’ East perfume;
If they should offer to contest
With thy arising, they presume.
Can there be any day but this,
Though many sunnes to shine endeavour?
We count three hundred, but we misse:
There is but one, and that one ever.
Kenneth Tay (b. 1992) is a Singaporean composer currently completing his PhD in Composition at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. He began his music training at age 7 as a pianist, but found the experience somewhat lonely and was later drawn to the joys of choral singing. "Can There Be Any Day But This?" is his take on George Herbert’s (1591-1633) poem, Easter. (Wong Yong En)
Singapore Symphony Chorus
Singapore Symphony Youth Choir
Wong Lai Foon, Choirmaster
Recorded live at the Victoria Concert Hall, Singapore on 27 May 2023.
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Cover photo: Elin Tabitha/Unsplash

[@margaretcchen]

Beautiful setting of my favourite Easter text. Sensitively sung!

[@EnriqueDeQuesada101]

It was great!