Five of the best
Performances around the UK
Toward the Unknown Region – RVW 150
Bridgewater Hall, Manchester,
26 February-12 May www.halle.co.uk/rvw150 The Hallé and the BBC Philharmonic join forces for a complete Vaughan Williams Symphony Cycle in Manchester. The BBC Phil concerts have already taken place, but three Hallé performances remain: on 21 April John Wilson conducts the Ninth Symphony alongside Holst’s The Planets; on 30 April Mark Elder conducts A Sea Symphony alongside Symphony
No. 6; and on 12 May Elder returns to the podium to conduct the Eighth Symphony.
A Sea Symphony
Barbican, London, 3 May cityoflondonchoir.org Cadogan Hall, London, 21 May cadoganhall.com Two outings for this formidable work: at the Barbican, the City of London Choir joins the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and soloists Sophie Bevan and Roderick Williams under Hilary Davan Wetton on 3 May (the concert includes Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1 and the Fantasia on the Old 104th Psalm Tune); and at Cadogan Hall the Constanza Chorus joins the London Mozart Players and soloists Eleanor Dennis and Matthew Brook under conductor Joanna Tomlinson on 21 May.
The Other Vaughan Williams
Barbican, London, 13 May www.bbc.co.uk/events/enrp8g
Newbury Spring Festival, 14 May www.newburyspringfestival.org.uk
Ryan Wigglesworth takes to London’s Barbican and the Newbury Spring Festival to conduct the BBC Symphony Orchestra in Vaughan Williams’s Fourth Symphony.
The Ballets
Dorchester Abbey, 27 May englishmusicfestival.org.uk
Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, 31 May liverpoolphil.com
Chances to hear Vaughan Williams’s rarely-heard ballets: the BBC Concert Orchestra performs Old King Cole at the English Music Festival in Dorchester conducted by Martin Yates; and the
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Andrew Manze performs Job.
Festivals celebrating Vaughan Williams
Various locations, Spring and Summer 2022 iimf.co.uk; englishmusicfestival.org.uk; nnfestival.org.uk; kingslynnfestival.org.uk; 3choirs.org; ldsm.org.uk
Check out the Investec International Music Festival; English Music Festival; Norfolk and Norwich Festival; King’s Lynn Festival; Three Choirs Festival; and Lake District Summer Music Festival.