Episodes
| Series | Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 01 | The Stage Works: Who Wants The English Composer? | 20080825 | 20101101 (R3) 20120116 (R3) | Despite his fascination with music for the stage from childhood onwards, Vaughan Williams's operas remain a neglected area of his work. His first opera, Hugh the Drover, was influenced by his folksong collecting of the early 1900s, and the concerns expressed in his 1912 essay 'Who wants the English Composer?'. Donald Macleod explores Vaughan Williams's first opera Hugh the Drover. |
| 2008 | 02 | The Stage Works, A Vision Of Albion | 20080826 | 20101102 (R3) 20120117 (R3) | Donald Macleod explores the appeal to Vaughan Williams of Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. |
| 2008 | 03 | The Stage Works: Shakespearean Portraits | 20080827 | 20101103 (R3) 20120118 (R3) | The experience of working with the RSC on the music for a number of plays in 1913 sowed the seeds for Vaughan Williams's Falstaffian opera Sir John in Love. This, like most of his operas, was first produced by amateurs, as opportunities for an English composer to get an opera performed were almost non-existent in the early 20th century. With Donald Macleod. Donald Macleod explores Vaughan Williams's works on Elizabethan and Tudor themes. |
| 2008 | 04 | The Stage Works, A Masterpiece And A Problem Opera | 20080828 | 20101104 (R3) 20120119 (R3) | Donald Macleod focuses on two completely contrasting Vaughan Williams operas. |
| 2008 | 05 LAST | The Stage Works, The Labour Of A Lifetime | 20080829 | 20101105 (R3) 20120120 (R3) | Donald Macleod on Vaughan Williams during World War II, including Pilgrim's Progress. |
| 2013 | 01 | Affairs Of The Heart | 20130603 | 20140811 (R3) | Celebrating British Music: It was at a performance of Vaughan Williams's Job at Sadler's Wells that his music first caught the attention of the young drama student and aspiring poet Ursula Wood. Though they didn't meet for another five years, it would be the catalyst to a love affair which lasted until Vaughan Williams's death twenty years later. This week, Donald Macleod focuses on those highly productive later years, touching on Ursula and Ralph's blossoming relationship through the war years. Donald looks at the unusual role Ursula found herself playing in the lives of Ralph and his then wife Adeline, and the all too brief but intensely happy marriage to Ursula for the last five years of Vaughan Williams's life. Exploring the unusual role a drama student, Ursula Wood, played in Vaughan Williams's life |
| 2013 | 02 | War Years | 20130604 | 20140812 (R3) | Celebrating British Music: By the outbreak of the Second World War, Vaughan Williams was nearly 67 so active service wasn't an option but he was able to do his bit in other ways; he was appointed Chairman of a Home Office Committee looking into the plight of refugees from Nazi Germany. Donald Macleod introduces a concerto whose premiere was delayed because of flying bombs over London, and a string quartet with a prominent role for Vaughan Williams's favourite instrument, the viola. Donald Macleod reflects on Vaughan Williams's contribution to the effort for World War II. |
| 2013 | 03 | Vaughan Williams: Post-war Recovery And Festival Of Britain | 20130605 | Celebrating British Music: Six years after the war, the Festival of Britain provided a showcase for the very best in British art, design and industry. Vaughan Williams's stage work The Pilgrim's Progress was premiered at Covent Garden as the Royal Opera House's main contribution to the Festival. Donald Macleod presents an excerpt from the work inspired by John Bunyan's allegory which had been a source of fascination for him since he was a child. He also introduces a group of songs written as a test piece for an amateur competition, and the remarkable symphonic masterpiece which reviewers at the time described as a work of 'ultimate nihilism'. Donald Macleod introduces two major works completed during the years following the war. | |
| 2013 | 04 | Momentous Events | 20130606 | 20140814 (R3) | Celebrating British Music: As the most important figure in British music, it was natural Vaughan Williams would be asked to provide some of the music for the coronation in 1953. The same year, the symphony inspired by his most popular film score for Scott of the Antarctic was premiered to great acclaim. Donald Macleod introduces part of that evocative work in which he controversially added a solo soprano and wordless chorus to his orchestral palette, plus two concert works written for unusual solo instruments - the bass tuba and the harmonica. Donald Macleod introduces music by Vaughan Williams for the Queen's coronation in 1953. |
| 2013 | 05 LAST | The Final Years | 20130607 | 20140815 (R3) | Celebrating British Music: At the age of 80, Vaughan Williams married Ursula Wood. In the five happy years of their marriage, there was no let-up in the composer's productivity, writing two symphonies, more film music and a set of songs for voice and oboe. Donald Macleod introduces those miniature masterpieces set to William Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience, Vaughan Williams's colourful evocation of Tudor England for a documentary film, and his penultimate symphony, full of the exuberance of youth. Donald Macleod focuses on two major works from the last years of Vaughan Williams's life. |
| 2016 | 01 | A Country Childhood | 20160404 | There's a type of composer who is a biographer's dream: a prodigy, spilling out masterpieces from the nursery, ideally triumphing in the face of an impoverished background, and all cut short by an early death. Ralph Vaughan Williams was none of those. And his story is all the more fascinating for it. This week Donald Macleod charts the long life and career of this most English composer, the son of a lawyer, educated at home then at Charterhouse, but who also loved watching Mickey Mouse more than anything else at the cinema. We follow him from his childhood, when after six months of piano lessons 'he can't play the simplest thing decently', through to his last years, when even in his 80s he was composing works which still define his reputation. We meet a man deeply in love with his country and its cultural traditions; collaborator with greats like Elgar and Holst, but who also had a passion for French music and the work of Ravel, who became a trusted teacher and personal friend. We follow him through two world wars, where active service saw him permanently scarred by sights which could never leave his memory. Plus we explore the more intimate side of the composer, who adored his first wife but then forged a new relationship, both personal and musical, after she died. Fantasia on 'Greensleeves Margaret Campbell, Colin Lilley, flutes Audrey Douglas, harp English String Orchestra William Boughton, conductor On Wenlock Edge Andrew Kennedy, tenor Dante Quartet Simon Crawford-Phillips, piano Symphony No 4, 1st movement Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Paul Daniel, conductor Toward the Unknown Region - song for chorus and orchestra Corydon Singers Corydon Orchestra Matthew Best, conductor Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis Hall退 Orchestra Mark Elder, conductor. Donald Macleod explores Vaughan Williams's early years, revealing a slow starter. | |
| 2016 | 02 | The French Connection | 20160405 | I came to the conclusion I was lumpy and stodgy ... and that a little French polish would be of use to me'. That marked the beginnings of a relationship which did much to mould Vaughan Williams's talents. Donald Macleod explores this French connection, seeing the composer develop a fruitful relationship with Maurice Ravel which eventually reached the heights of steak and kidney puddings at London's Waterloo Station. Plus we follow the composer through his studies at Cambridge where he found only a cautious acceptance of his abilities by his tutors. The Sky Above the Roof Susan Bickley, mezzo soprano Iain Burnside, piano Overture: The Wasps Kansas City Symphony Michael Stern, conductor 5 Mystical Songs: Love Bade Me Welcome Thomas Allen, baritone Corydon Singers English Chamber Orchestra Matthew Best, conductor Phantasy Quintet The Nash Ensemble: Marianne Thorsen, Elizabeth Wexler, violins Lawrence Power, Louise Williams, violas Paul Watkins, cello Sea Symphony (1st movement: Songs for All Seas, All Ships) Joan Rodgers, soprano Christopher Maltman, baritone Bournemouth Symphony Chorus Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Paul Daniel, conductor. Donald Macleod focuses on Vaughan Williams's fruitful relationship with Maurice Ravel. | |
| 2016 | 03 | An English Composer | 20160406 | We rejoin Vaughan Williams deeply immersed in the music of his home country, giving lectures on national songs from around the British Isles and travelling with his phonograph to gather materials. Alliances are formed with Gustav Holst and Edward Elgar, and we also join the composer in his new London house, complete with a grand attic study and spectacular views over the river and the outsize chimneys of the Lots Road power station. With Donald Macleod. Linden Lea Janet Baker mezzo soprano Geoffrey Moore piano In the night-time I have seen you riding (Hugh the Drover, Act 1) Robert Tear, tenor (Hugh the Drover) Sheila Armstrong, soprano (Mary the Constable's daughter) Ambrosian Opera Chorus Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Charles Groves, conductor A London Symphony (Symphony No 2), 1st movement London Philharmonic Orchestra Bernard Haitink, conductor Mass in G minor: Sanctus & Agnus Dei Mary Seers, Janet Coxwell sopranos Michael Chance, countertenor Philip Salmon, tenor Jonathan Best, baritone Corydon Singers Matthew Best, conductor Ballad: The Tunning of Elinor Rumming (Five Tudor Portraits) Robert Bourton, bassoon London Symphony Orchestra Richard Hickox, conductor. Donald Macleod on how Vaughan Williams immersed himself in the music of his home country. | |
| 2016 | 04 | A World At War | 20160407 | War sees the nationalist in Vaughan Williams character come to the fore. He finds and opportunity to serve his country as an ambulance orderly, and later as Director of Music to the First Army of the British Expeditionary Force in France. Harrowing war-time experiences would never leave him, and deeply influenced much of his work. Plus Donald Macleod explores the composer's strong personal response to another key moment of the early twentieth century, Scott's ill-fated expedition to the South Pole, which inspired one of the many successful film scores Vaughan Williams produced. Main Titles (Scott of the Antarctic) BBC Philharmonic Rumon Gamba, conductor Ice floes (Scott of the Antarctic) Pastoral Symphony (Symphony No 3) (1st movement: molto moderato) Hall退 Orchestra Mark Elder, director The Lark Ascending Tasmin Little, violin BBC Smyphony Orchestra Andrew Davis, conductor String Quartet No 2 (Prelude: Allegro appassionato) The Nash Ensemble: Marianne Thorsen, violin Elizabeth Wexler, violin Lawrence Power, viola Paul Watkins, cello. How harrowing wartime experiences left a deep imprint on Vaughan Williams's work. | |
| 2016 | 05 LAST | A Grand Finale | 20160408 | At the age of 81 a new and highly creative stage of the composer's career is about to begin. Donald Macleod follows the composer has he moves to a grand new house in London and makes a deep impression on a woman 40 years his junior (all thanks to a fetching green pork-pie hat) which will eventually lead to marriage. Valiant for Truth The Choir of Clare College, Cambridge Timothy Brown, director Violin Sonata in A minor (Scherzo) Marianne Thorsen, violin Ian Brown, piano Symphony No 8 (1. Fantasia) London Philharmonic Orchestra Adrian Boult, conductor The Pilgrim's Progress, Act 1, Sc 2 (The House Beautiful) Gerald Finley, baritone (Pilgrim) Rebecca Evans, Susan Gritton, sopranos; Pamela Helen Stephen, mezzo-soprano (Shining Ones) Mark Padmore, tenor (Interpreter) Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Richard Hickox, conductor Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus Susan Lynn, violin Thomas Waddington, cello Audrey Douglas, harp English String Orchestra William Boughton, conductor. How, aged 81, Vaughan Williams made a deep impression on a woman 40 years his junior. | |
| 2018 | 01 | A Local Man, Gloucestershire | 20180709 | Ralph Vaughan Williams was a composer with a self-consciously national voice, who nonetheless believed passionately in the importance of localism. Indeed, he saw healthy music-making in each community as the ultimate source of national musical vitality, and longed for a time when every major town in Britain would have its own orchestra. His respect for folk music and well-known use of traditional melodies reflected a strong response to places, and the people he met there. This week, Donald examines five key locations which were significant throughout the composer's life. Although he was born in Gloucestershire, Vaughan Williams only lived there for a few years and barely remembered his infancy in Down Ampney. Nevertheless it continued to be a significant locus for him throughout his life, particularly due to his close relationship with the Three Choirs Festival. Several important works were written for or inspired by the county and Cathedral, including his ground-breaking Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. Down Ampney (Come down, O love divine) Worcester Cathedral Choir and Worcester Festival Chorus Donald Hunt, conductor Paul Trepte, organ London Philharmonic Orchestra Rodney Friend, violin Russell Gilbert, violin John Chambers, viola Alexander Cameron, cello Adrian Boult, conductor Magnificat Catherine Wyn-Rogers, contralto Duke Dobing, flute Roger Judd, organ Corydon Singers City of London Sinfonia Matthew Best, conductor The Lark Ascending Tasmin Little, violin BBC Philharmonic Andrew Davis, conductor. A national composer with a local focus. Today, the county of his birth. | |
| 2018 | 02 | A Local Man, Europe | 20180710 | Ralph Vaughan Williams was a composer with a self-consciously national voice, who nonetheless believed passionately in the importance of localism. Indeed, he saw healthy music-making in each community as the ultimate source of national musical vitality, and longed for a time when every major town in Britain would have its own orchestra. His respect for folk music and well-known use of traditional melodies reflected a strong response to places, and the people he met there. This week, Donald examines five key locations which were significant throughout the composer's life. Vaughan Williams' career as a composer began slowly, and at the turn of the century he went to both Germany and France for lessons. Just a few years later he would return as an ambulance man in the First World War. His relationship with Ravel in particular bore much inspirational fruit, and their friendship endured until the Frenchman's death. In the Second World War, VW contributed musically and practically to the war effort, whilst also working hard to ensure justice for European composers interred in Britain. Let all mortal flesh keep silence (Tune: Picardy) Manchester Cathedral Choir Christopher Stokes, director On Wenlock Edge Mark Padmore, tenor The Schubert Ensemble Symphony No.3, 2nd movement Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Vernon Handley, conductor 6 Choral Songs (to be sung in Time of War) London Symphony Chorus and Orchestra Richard Hickox, conductor Prelude (The Forty-Ninth Parallel) BBC Philharmonic Rumon Gamba, conductor. A national composer with a local focus. Today, his relationship with the continent. | |
| 2018 | 03 | A Local Man, Kensington And Chelsea | 20180711 | Ralph Vaughan Williams was a composer with a self-consciously national voice, who nonetheless believed passionately in the importance of localism. Indeed, he saw healthy music-making in each community as the ultimate source of national musical vitality, and longed for a time when every major town in Britain would have its own orchestra. His respect for folk music and well-known use of traditional melodies reflected a strong response to places, and the people he met there. This week, Donald examines five key locations which were significant throughout the composer's life. Vaughan Williams loved London. He particularly enjoyed life at his house at Cheyne Walk, while his life-long association with the musical institutions of the capital meant that he was never away for very long. Many works were written for performers and groups based in the city, including his 'favourite' London Symphony. Randolph (God be with you till we meet again) Cardiff Festival Choir Owain Arwel Hughes, conductor Whither must I wander? (Songs of Travel) Roderick Williams, baritone Iain Burnside, piano A London Symphony (3rd movement) Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Vernon Handley, conductor Sancta civitas Philip Langridge, tenor Bryn Terfel, baritone St Paul's Cathedral Choir London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus Richard Hickox, conductor. A national composer with a local focus. Today, his love for London. | |
| 2018 | 04 | A Local Man, Surrey | 20180712 | Ralph Vaughan Williams was a composer with a self-consciously national voice, who nonetheless believed passionately in the importance of localism. Indeed, he saw healthy music-making in each community as the ultimate source of national musical vitality, and longed for a time when every major town in Britain would have its own orchestra. His respect for folk music and well-known use of traditional melodies reflected a strong response to places, and the people he met there. This week, Donald examines five key locations which were significant throughout the composer's life. Vaughan Williams was born in Gloucestershire and loved living in London, but it was in Surrey that his roots lay, and where he spent most of his life. His childhood in a stately home on Leith Hill gave him a deep love of the English countryside, and it was in the villages around Dorking that, as a mature composer, he built his own local music-making communities. Here he developed his deeply-held philosophy of national musical life 'emanating from the parish pump', exemplified by his grand work for local choirs, 'Benedicite'. O little town of Bethlehem The Choir of St George's Hanover Square Denys Darlow, conductor Simon Williams, organ Serenade in A minor Royal Scottish National Orchestra Martin Yates, conductor Satan's dance of triumph (Job) English Northern Philharmonia David Lloyd-Jones, conductor Exit the ghosts of the past; The funeral march for the old order (England's Pleasant Land) North Texas Wind Symphony Eugene Migliaro Corperon, conductor Lynda Russell, soprano Winchester Cathedral Choir Waynflete Singers Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra David Hill, conductor Epithalamion Joyful Company of Singers Britten Sinfonia Alan Tongue, conductor. A national composer with a local focus. Today, his roots in the Surrey countryside. | |
| 2018 | 05 LAST | A Local Man, Albion | 20180713 | Ralph Vaughan Williams was a composer with a self-consciously national voice, who nonetheless believed passionately in the importance of localism. Indeed, he saw healthy music-making in each community as the ultimate source of national musical vitality, and longed for a time when every major town in Britain would have its own orchestra. His respect for folk music and well-known use of traditional melodies reflected a strong response to places, and the people he met there. This week, Donald examines five key locations which were significant throughout the composer's life. The man that hath no music in himself, Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils; The motions of his spirit are dull as night, And his affections dark as Erebus. Let no such man be trusted. Mark the music.' Vaughan Williams chose these words of Shakespeare for his Serenade to Music, a work which in many ways encapsulates his musical philosophy. The Old Hundredth Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Oxford English String Orchestra Stephen Darlington, conductor Fantasia on Christmas Carols Thomas Allen, Baritone Charles Tunnell, cello Corydon Singers English Chamber Orchestra Matthew Best, conductor Fantasia on 'Greensleeves London Symphony Orchestra Andre Previn Elizabeth Connell, soprano Anne Dawson, soprano Linda Kitchen, soprano Amanda Roocroft, soprano Sarah Walker, mezzo-soprano Catherine Wyn-Rogers, mezzo-soprano John Mark Ainsley, tenor Maldwyn Davies, tenor Martyn Hill, tenor Alan Opie, baritone John Connell, bass Gwynne Howell, bass The Messengers of Speech (The Sons of Light) Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir David Lloyd-Jones, conductor Epilogue (Sinfonia Antarctica) Edvard Grieg Kor Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir Andrew Davis, conductor. A national composer with a local focus. Today, his belief in Britain's musical soul. | |
| 2021 | 01 | Unpromising Beginnings | 20210208 | Ralph Vaughan Williams is one of Britain's most-loved composers, and best-known symphonists, writing nine symphonies that span almost 50 years of his career. These works evoke a wide range of moods, each creating its own unique world, from his first stormy choral symphony, through the aggressive and the tranquil, to his final enigmatic, haunting Ninth. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod delves into the life and work of Vaughan Williams - a man who helped forge a new identity for English music in the 20th century - paying special attention to the symphonies. In Monday's episode, Donald examines Vaughan Williams's well-to-do background, and how that contrasted with the inauspicious musical beginnings of a composer who would go on to become the torchbearer for British music. Donald also explores the composer's relationship with England's capital city, hearing from his `A London Symphony`, a work that Vaughan Williams said, should really be called `Symphony by a Londoner`. The Robin's Nest Frank Ericson (piano) Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis Academy of St Martin in the Fields Sir Neville Marriner (conductor) Prayer to the Father of Heaven Choir of St John's College, Cambridge Andrew Nethsingha (director) A Cambridge Mass - Credo : Credo in Unum Deum Olivia Robinson (soprano) Rebecca Lodge (contralto) Christopher Bowen (tenor) Edward Price (baritone) Bach Choir New Queen's Hall Orchestra Alan Tongue (conductor) Martin Ennis (organ) A London Symphony (original 1913 version) - IV. Andante con moto London Symphony Orchestra Richard Hickox (conductor) Linden Lea David John Pike (baritone) Isabelle Trüb (piano) Producer: Sam Phillips Donald Macleod examines Vaughan Williams's early struggles with music. | |
| 2021 | 02 | Finding His Voice | 20210209 | Ralph Vaughan Williams is one of Britain's most loved composers, and best-known symphonists, writing nine symphonies which span almost fifty years of his career. These works evoke a wide range of moods, each creating its own unique world, from his first stormy choral symphony, through the aggressive and the tranquil, to his final enigmatic, haunting ninth. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod delves into the life and work of Vaughan Williams - a man who helped forge a new identity for English music in the Twentieth Century - paying special attention to the symphonies. In Tuesday's episode, Donald explores Vaughan Williams' formative years, and how his discovery of folk music, his studies in Paris with Ravel, and work on a religious hymnal all combined to create his distinctive musical voice. Among today's music, we will be hearing from Vaughan Williams' first symphony `A Sea Symphony`, a work which sees all of those elements come together. Bushes and Briars Gabrieli Consort Paul McCreesh (director) God that madest heaven and earth Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge Richard Marlow (director) The Lark Ascending (original piano and violin version) Jennifer Pike (violin) Martin Roscoe (piano) Norfolk Rhapsody No 1 London Symphony Orchestra Richard Hickox (conductor) On Wenlock Edge - On Bredon Hill Ian Bostridge (tenor) London Philharmonic Orchestra Bernard Haitink (conductor) A Sea Symphony - Scherzo: The Waves Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Andrew Manze (conductor) Producer: Sam Phillips Donald Macleod explores the how Vaughan Williams' found his distinctive musical voice. | |
| 2021 | 03 | War | 20210210 | Ralph Vaughan Williams is one of Britain's most loved composers, and best-known symphonists, writing nine symphonies that span almost 50 years of his career. These works evoke a wide range of moods, each creating its own unique world, from his first stormy choral symphony, through the aggressive and the tranquil, to his final enigmatic, haunting ninth. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod delves into the life and work of Vaughan Williams - a man who helped forge a new identity for English music in the 20th Century - paying special attention to the symphonies. In Wednesday's episode, Donald explores the defining effect that war had on Vaughan Williams - his experiences as a serving soldier in World War I, and how this shaped his approach to music making, and then his experiences during World War II when he was too old to serve, and his hopes for peace in the future. We'll also be hearing from two symphonies with links to war - the Third, `A Pastoral Symphony`, and the Sixth. Dona Nobis Pacem - Reconciliation Sheila Armstrong (soprano) John Carol Case (bass-baritone) London Philharmonic Choir London Philharmonic Orchestra Sir Adrian Boult (conductor) Symphony No 3 `A Pastoral Symphony` - II. Lento moderato Hall退 Orchestra Sir Mark Elder (conductor) English Folk Song Suite - III. March, 'Folk Songs from Somerset Central Band of the Royal Air Force Wg Cdr Duncan Stubbs (conductor) Job - Introduction; Sarabande of the Sons of God; Epilogue Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra Sir Andrew Davis (conductor) Music for the film 49th Parallel - Prelude (closing titles) BBC Philharmonic Rumon Gamba (conductor) Symphony No 6 - Epilogue Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Paavo Berglund (conductor) Producer: Sam Phillips Donald Macleod explores the defining effect that war had on Vaughan Williams. | |
| 2021 | 04 | Romance | 20210211 | Ralph Vaughan Williams is one of Britain's most loved composers, and best-known symphonists, writing nine symphonies that span almost 50 years of his career. These works evoke a wide range of moods, each creating its own unique world, from his first stormy choral symphony, through the aggressive and the tranquil, to his final enigmatic, haunting Ninth. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod delves into the life and work of Vaughan Williams - a man who helped forge a new identity for English music in the 20th century - paying special attention to the symphonies. Vaughan Williams wrote many works or movements of works with the title `romance` In Thursday's episode, Donald explores Vaughan Williams's own romantic life, and we'll be hearing from, among other works, his Fifth Symphony. Larry Adler (harmonica) Eric Gritton (piano) BBC Symphony Orchestra Sir Malcolm Sargent (conductor) Four Last Songs - Tired Roderick Williams (baritone) Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra Sir Andrew Davis (conductor) Flos Campi - VI. Pone me ut signaculum super cor tuum Teng Li (viola) Elmer Iseler Singers Toronto Symphony Orchestra Peter Oundjian (conductor) Symphony No 5 - IV. Passacaglia Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Andrew Manze (conductor) String Quartet No 2 - II. Romance Medici Quartet Toward the Unknown Region Waynflete Singers Winchester Cathedral Choir Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra David Hill (conductor) Producer: Sam Phillips Donald Macleod explores Vaughan Williams' romantic life and the echoes of it in his music. | |
| 2021 | 05 LAST | Toward The Unknown | 20210212 | Ralph Vaughan Williams is one of Britain's most loved composers, and best-known symphonists, writing nine symphonies that span almost 50 years of his career. These works evoke a wide range of moods, each creating its own unique world, from his first stormy choral symphony, through the aggressive and the tranquil, to his final enigmatic, haunting Ninth. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod delves into the life and work of Vaughan Williams - a man who helped forge a new identity for English music in the 20th century - paying special attention to the symphonies. Vaughan Williams's father was a vicar, but Ralph himself was an avowed atheist. In the final programme of the week, Donald explores how Vaughan Williams's own ideas about faith changed during his life and how this shaped his life and music. We'll be hearing from two Vaughan Williams symphonies - his Seventh, `Sinfonia Antartica`, and his final statement in the form, the Ninth. Come down O Love Divine (Down Ampney) Choir of Trinity College Cambridge Richard Marlow (chorus master) Christopher Allsop (organ) Sinfonia Antartica - Intermezzo (with introductory lines) Timothy West (narrator) Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Andrew Manze (conductor) Hodie (This Day) - No Sad Thought His Soul Affright Guildford Choral Society St Catherine's School Choir Hilary Davan Wetton (conductor) Songs of Travel - 1. The Vagabond, 6. The Infinite Shining Heavens, 9. I have trod the upwards and the downwards Bryn Terfel (bass-baritone) Malcolm Martineau (piano) Symphony No 9 - IV. Andante tranquillo London Philharmonic Orchestra Adrian Boult (conductor) Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus London Symphony Chorus London Symphony Orchestra Richard Hickox (conductor) Producer: Sam Phillips Donald Macleod explores how faith shaped Vaughan Williams's life and music. |