On Air Now
Choirs at Christmas with Lloyd Griffith 9pm - 10pm
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Alan Titchmarsh's Great British Discovery
After Vaughan Williams travelled to Paris in 1908 to study orchestration with Maurice Ravel, he embarked on one of his most fruitful periods of composition. 1910 saw the premiere of not just 'A Sea Symphony', but of this Fantasia, performed for the first time at Gloucester Cathedral - pictured - for the Three Choirs Festival. The main theme was discovered by the composer when he was commissioned to put together the 1906 edition of The English Hymnal. Photo: Diliff