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Grace Williams, Benjamin Britten and Vaughan Williams

The 大象传媒 National Orchestra of Wales and Jamie Phillips perform Benjamin Britten and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Madeleine Mitchell joins them for Grace Williams's Violin Concerto.

Jamie Phillips and the 大象传媒 National Orchestra of Wales present three giants of British music side-by-side; Benjamin Britten, Grace Williams and Ralph Vaughan Williams. The three were all united by the Royal College of Music, with the elder Vaughan Williams teaching his younger counterparts. Britten and Williams became good friends, keeping in contact throughout their lives, however their opinions of their teacher were starkly different - Grace saw him as one of her biggest influences, referring to him as "Uncle Ralph", whereas Britten was publicly contemptuous toward him. Nonetheless, all three composed some of the most remarkable music to come out of Britain in the 20th Century.

Britten's Prelude and Fugue is an intense work for string orchestra, in which all 18 players have individual lines, giving the fugue phenomenal drive and energy. Grace Williams' Violin Concerto is an exceptionally lyrical piece, whose central movement is built around the Welsh hymn tune Hen Ddarbi (Old Proverb), and Vaughan Williams' celebrated 5th Symphony is also highly melodic, but with the evocative spaciousness so remarkable in his music.

Recorded in Hoddinott Hall on 3rd November and presented by Nicola Heywood Thomas.

Britten: Prelude and Fugue
Williams: Violin Concerto

Interval Music

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No 5

Madeleine Mitchell (violin)
大象传媒 National Orchestra of Wales
Jamie Phillips (conductor)

2 hours, 28 minutes

Last on

Tue 9 Nov 2021 19:30
大象传媒 Radio 3

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Music Played

  • Benjamin Britten

    Prelude and Fugue, Op 29

    Orchestra: 大象传媒 National Orchestra of Wales. Conductor: Jamie Phillips.

  • Grace Williams

    Violin Concerto

    Performer: Madeleine Mitchell. Orchestra: 大象传媒 National Orchestra of Wales. Conductor: Jamie Phillips.

  • Grace Williams

    Violin Sonata

    Performer: Madeleine Mitchell. Performer: Konstantin Lapshin.
    • Chamber Music.
    • Naxos.
    • 1.

  • Grace Williams

    High Wind (Sea Sketches)

    Orchestra: 大象传媒 National Orchestra of Wales. Conductor: Tadaaki Otaka.

  • Grace Williams

    Hun Gwenllian

    Performer: Rachel Kay Green. Singer: Jeremy Huw Williams.
    • Grace Williams: My Last Duchess.
    • Lorelt.
    • 21.

  • Ralph Vaughan Williams

    Symphony No 5 in D major

    Orchestra: 大象传媒 National Orchestra of Wales. Conductor: Jamie Phillips.

  • Ralph Vaughan Williams

    Folk Songs from the Eastern Counties - No. 10, The Saucy Bold Robber

    Performer: William Vann. Singer: Roderick Williams.
    • ALBION.

  • C茅sar Franck

    Piano Quintet in F minor

    Performer: Cristina Ortiz. Ensemble: Fine Arts Quartet.
    • Naxos.

  • Robert Schumann

    Four Pieces from Carnaval

    Orchestrator: Maurice Ravel. Orchestra: Orchestre de l鈥橭p茅ra de Lyon. Conductor: Emmanuel Krivine.
    • Denon.

Broadcast

  • Tue 9 Nov 2021 19:30
    大象传媒 Radio 3