When Thou Commandest (Vytautas Miškinis) - SYC Ensemble Singers

Performed by the SYC Ensemble Singers during the National Liberation Day Choral Festival in Seoul Arts Centre in Seoul, Korea on 15 August 2019.
Conducted by: Jennifer Tham
When Thou Commandest was commissioned by Jennifer Tham and the SYC Ensemble Singers in 2010. Set to music by Lithuanian composer Vytautas Miškinis, the poem by Rabindranath Tagore speaks about the gratitude of music and the joy in singing.
Text:
When thou commandest me to sing
it seems that my heart would break with pride;
and I look to thy face, and tears come to my eyes.
All that is harsh and dissonant in my life
melts into one sweet harmony -
and my adoration spreads wings like a glad bird
on its flight across the sea.
I know thou takest pleasure in my singing.
I know that only as a singer
I come before thy presence.
I touch by the edge of the far-spreading wing
of my song thy feet
which I could never aspire to reach.
Drunk with the joy of singing I forget myself
and call thee friend who art my lord.

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