John McArthur has had a long relationship with the Vocalise -- in both its original form by Rachmaninoff and in this transcription by his mentor, the incomparable Earl Wild.

Always, he's also associated this piece of music with his mother, Enid McArthur, who had a daily and natural relationship with melody. 

She breathed songs as she walked through her days, humming and singing and subconsciously infusing everyday life with transcendence...

(but she'd probably raise her eyebrows and a let out a slight laugh towards me for those last 6 words.  It was somehow so much more beautifully and elegantly simple for her than that).

To know John, is to know that his mother was, and is, a constant loving and mentoring presence with him. 

To have met his mother was to have encountered the reality of that presence in a way that is so easily remembered with a smile and gratitude.

The Vocalise has always been like a sonic avatar of her presence in John's life and over many years, as the role of caring mother became the role of cared-for mother, John's love and loss and grief and hope were woven into his relationship with this music.

(In the end, melody remained a line of connection between Enid and her son John -- a story we tell in the film VOCALISE, to be released next week here).

When we came to record the Vocalise for "The HIDDEN Project" it was during a still partial lock-down period of COVID -- and love and loss and grief and hope were things many of us were encountering in our daily lives.

In that session, after a 20 year journey with this piece, John sat down to play Wild's transcription of the Vocalise.  The recording we are releasing today is Take 1.

Our deep thanks to Charles Mueller, Brian Losch, and Kim Rosen for helping us to share this story.

We invite you to listen to John performing Earl Wild's evocative transcription of Rachmaninoff's Vocalise

On Spotify

On Apple Music

On YouTube Music

On Deezer

Thanks for listening,
Peter Field
Skylight Arts