Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Mark Wigglesworth, a notable interpreter of British music, opens the programme of English music with Delius’ gentle tone-poem The Walk to the Paradise Garden. Beginning with beautiful dream-like wind solos, the tranquil mood is soon shifted when Walton’s Suite from Henry V conjures stirring battle scenes. Composed for Lawrence Olivier’s remarkable 1944 film Henry V, this imaginative score fuses romantic tenderness with medieval beauty in a whirl of pure cinematic excitement.

Vaughan Williams’ Fifth Symphony rounds out the concert with some of his most serene music – its pastoral tranquillity is set again against the backdrop of 1940s war-torn Europe.