Legend has it that the Salley Gardens – the willow gardens – were located near the town of Sligo in Ireland. While the poem tells a bittersweet story of unrequited love, its musical setting went on to become a global sensation.
In this ballad-style arrangement, the melody starts as a simple unison line and beautifully unfolds into rich harmony verse by verse. The final verse allows the entire choir to fully unleash its (pop) vocal power before the song winds down to finish just as it started: with a single, haunting melody. With this version of the well-known song, André Wenauer successfully participated in the arranging competition ‘Volkslied trifft Moderne’ (Folk Song Meets Modernity), organized by the Fachverband der Chorleiter (German Association of Choral Directors).
