Rise Up, My Love  (Song of Solomon 2: 10-17) * Tom Nelly

With tenderness and longing, the alluring invitation ìrise up, my loveî draws the listener with gentle arching melodies. They impart the desire of Solomon to enjoy the pleasures of spring with the object of his affection. The text is personal and intimate in wording and style. Beaming with delight at ìthe voice of the doveî and ìtender vines,î this refreshing work expresses, through cultivated phrasing and dynamic shading, the fresh and hopeful desires of a loverís heart. The intense and yet restrained ìOh my doveî is followed by ìin the secret places of the stairs, let me see your countenance and hear your voice.î A moving, image-laden ìbe a hart on the mountainî leads to a climactic ìRise up, my fair one.î Mr. Nelly uses text painting to enhance the aesthetic experience and beauty of Rise Up, My Love.
Program notes by Marilyn Ward.

Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
For the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.

The flowers appear on the earth,
 the time for the singing is come,
 and the voice of the dove is heard in our land.
And the fig tree putteth forth her green figs,
and the vines with the tender grape give good pleasure.

Oh my dove, in the cleft of the rock,
in the secret places of the stairs,
let me see your countenance and hear your voice,
 for sweet is your voice.
Until the day break, and the shadows flee away,
my love, be like a young hart on the mountain.