John Bunyan's allegory occupied Ralph Vaughan Williams for a lifetime, culminating in the 1951 stage work, premiered at Covent Garden. Roy Westbrook follows the composer's progress...
Often dismissed on account of its popularity, The Lark Ascending divides audiences... and players. Our own Kevin Ng is a violinist and avoided it for years, but took advice from three violinists when adding it to his repertoire.
Ralph Vaughan Williams' nine symphonies represent one of the peaks of creative achievement in British culture. Enthusiast Chris Garlick takes us on a musical journey through the cycle.
When Igor Stravinsky left Europe for life in America in 1939, his flight was due to more than the impending war. Three generations of his family had died within six months and his neoclassical works no longer met with universal admiration from influential critics.
After studying History at Leicester University, Richard trained as an actor at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and subsequently worked in theatres in London, Nottingham, Sheffield and Chester. He is the author and performer of several one-man shows, including the acclaimed Wagner: Journey Into Genius. His other writing interests include politics, culture, film and theatre.
Richard’s principal devotion is to opera and music drama, especially those of Wagner and Strauss. He has an additional attachment to under-exposed late and post-Romantic composers such as Schreker and Shoeck. He also enjoys the symphonic and chamber music of this period.
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