Pretty Saro

This beautiful folk ballad from 17th-century England is haunting and timeless. The lyrics tell the story of an immigrant looking for love in a new and unfamiliar land. Each of the three verses varies in perspective, with verse one sung by a baritone soloist accompanied by soaring choral dissonances. The second verse, set in four-part canon, paints the text, "And writes it by the river where the water o'er flow." In the final verse, the soprano solo adds an unsettled sense of agony to the text, "And when I get weary, I'll sit down and cry. And think of my Saro, pretty Saro, my bride."