VI: SCHUMANN to VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

In his song ‘Widmung’ Schumann quotes the melody of Schubert’s ‘Ave Maria’ – a prayer sung by Ellen Douglas in Walter Scott’s Lady of the Lake. A reading for Ophelia from Shakespeare’s Hamlet introduces Hamlet as portrayed by Shostakovich. Sibelius provides a song from Twelfth Night and, later in the programme, there are miniatures by Tippett from The Tempest. Scenes of country life in Russia (by Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky) are followed by the contrasting English imagery of Tennyson and the ardent Anglicanism of Vaughan Williams.

VII: VERDI to ZILCHER

This final round-up begins with songs of love in all its guises (Verdi, Verlaine, Viardot), the contrast of town and country (Walton and Weber), and two fine composers on bird life (Weir and White). There is a selection of songs by Wolf, a song by a mystery composer (X) and this musical journey through the dictionary is brought to a close with nocturnal scenes from Yvain, Zelter and Zilcher.