Solent: Fifty Years of Music

In the fifty years between Vaughan Williams's Three Impressions for Orchestra and his Prelude on an Old Carol Tune, despite unprecedented worldwide social and political change, the composer's style remained remarkably consistent. The Impressions, recorded here for the first time, describe three natural beauties of England - Burley Heath, Harnham Down and The Solent. The Mayor of Casterbridge was written for a radio serial broadcast in1951, and it too receives its world premiere. The remainder of the disc includes the first book of the Songs of Travel and the Four Hymns for tenor, viola & strings. Performers include tenor Andrew Kennedy, baritone Roland Wood, violist Nicholas Bootiman and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra led by Paul Daniel.