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Vaughan Williams: Folk Songs of the Four Seasons
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Alan Titchmarsh's Great British Discovery
52. Vaughan Williams: Folk Songs of the Four Seasons
This little-known 1950 cantata was the first musical piece ever commissioned by the Women's Institute, bringing together two of Vaughan Williams's personal loves: amateur music-making and English folksong. The first performance took place at the Royal Albert Hall with the W.I. members - no less than 3,000 of them - singing away conducted by Sir Adrian Boult. Later the composer turned the piece into an orchestral suite.
