BBC Concert Orchestra at Cecil Sharp House

Live from Cecil Sharp House in London, home to the English Folk Dance and Song Society. Spiro and the BBC Concert Orchestra share this concert celebrating folk music new and old, including the world premiere of a BBC Commission from Spiro's Jane Harbour, which includes members of the BBC Singers. Presented by Verity Sharp

Spiro: Solo set

INTERVAL: As He Roved Out
In the interval of this concert celebrating the relationship between the English Folk Dance and Song Society and the BBC Verity Sharp presents 'As He Roved Out', a profile of Peter Kennedy who worked for both organisations. Kennedy travelled far and wide collecting songs and tunes from traditional musicians, amassing hundreds of recordings that are now in the British Library. He was remarkably industrious and enthusiastic, revitalising local traditions, playing for village dances and working on famous radio programmes such as 'As I Roved Out'. His methods and manner, though, meant he became a controversial figure, too. Verity Sharp assesses Kennedy's achievement and probes the nature of the man, with contributions from those who knew him, including David Attenborough, Shirley Collins, Malcolm Taylor (who for three decades ran the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library) and Janet Topp Fargion - Curator of World and Traditional Music at the British Library. We also hear several of the remarkable recordings Peter Kennedy made.

Producer: Julian May

PART 2:
Jane Harbour: Kynde
Arnold Foster: Piano Concerto on Country Dance Tunes
Francis Collinson: Folk Tune Medley - Ramsey Town; The Lincolnshire Poacher; York For My Money
Vaughan Williams: Overture - The Wasps

Spiro: Jane Harbour (violin), Jon Hunt (guitar), Alex Venn (mandolin), Jason Sparkes (accordion)
Victor Sangiorgio (piano)
BBC Singers: Emma Tring, Helen Neeves, Olivia Robinson, Elizabeth Poole (sopranos); Margaret Cameron, Nancy Cole (altos)
BBC Concert Orchestra, conductor Martin Yates.