Vaughan Williams: Piano Concerto, Oboe Concerto, Serenade to Music & Flos Campi

Featuring

Peter Oundjian
Carla Huhtanen
Emily D'Angelo
Lawrence Wiliford
Tyler Duncan
Sarah Jeffrey

Li Teng
Louis Lortie
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Elmer Iseler Singers
Ralph Vaughan Williams

Did you know?

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Vaughan Williams chose text from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice for his Serenade to Music, a romantic scene that resonated with his own passionate love affair at the time.

Compositional Technique

For Serenade to Music, Vaughan Williams had the inspired idea to set the words for sixteen voices as soloists, with each singer's individual qualities shaping their part.

Composition History

Vaughan Williams dedicated his Piano Concerto to Harriet Cohen, who premiered the work but found its technical demands, especially the large chords, challenging for her small hands.

Composition History

Due to the technical difficulty of the Piano Concerto, Vaughan Williams rearranged it for two pianos in 1946 after its initial performances.

Composition History

Ralph Vaughan Williams composed his Serenade to Music in 1938 to celebrate Sir Henry Wood's fifty years as a conductor.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Vaughan Williams stated that his work Flos Campi, which translates to 'Flower of the Field', has no ecclesiastical basis, but is a celebration of love between a man and a woman.