"You raise me up" (Live Recording)

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

There is no life – no life without its hunger;
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes, I think glimpse eternity.

Refrain:
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up… To more than I can be.

“You Raise Me Up” was composed by Rolf Løvland and based on the traditional Irish tune, “Danny Boy” which was then based on the tune of “Derry Air”. Løvland approached Brendan Graham who was a veteran songwriter and created the lyrics for the tune. This song complements the theme of the inauguration concert of the Toronto Messiaen Ensemble, “Adversity and Transfiguration”. Gideon Gee-Bum Kim arranged this piece for violin, clarinet, cello and piano in a unique way. The piece starts with solo clarinet which captures the overtones which is played inside the piano. It also adopts two Contemporary Church Music (CCM) songs, “Let Us Pray Together” by Korean CCM writer, Hyeongwon Ko and “You are my all in all” by Dennis Jernigan, an American CCM composer. Jernigan has inspired Kim by his belief, “If you lead people to freedom, they WILL worship.” These melodies are juxtaposed spontaneously with the theme of “You Raise Me Up” which is constant in the piano.

GK