Vaughan Williams Today

Music Matters

Tom Service is joined by Dan Grimley for a walk in the Surrey Hills where Vaughan Williams grew up to explore the ways in which the community, sound and landscape of this area shaped his music and his thinking. They also visit Dorking town centre where Vaughan Williams played a central role in the community, especially during World War Two and in the local music scene as conductor of the Leith Hill Musical Festival for almost 50 years.

Tom visits folk singer Shirley Collins at her home in East Sussex to talk about the folk songs Vaughan Williams collected and how his legacy continues today. Violinist Midori Komachi talks about taking Vaughan Williams’s music to Japanese audiences and a new dual language release featuring his works for violin and piano, including his tortured Violin Sonata from the 1950s; conductor Vasily Petrenko delves into what makes his music distinctly British; and writer Rob Young discusses the composer's patriotism, socialism and the lens through which we see him today.