Romance

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.

Romance
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