Sometimes the simplest music can be the most powerful. From a lone violin line and a plaintive melody of centuries before, Vaughan Williams spins gold in his two most-loved masterpieces. A century later, the young New York composer Jessie Montgomery makes her own mark with the same string forces as the Tallis Fantasia, echoing another age-old melody in a new light.
Celebrating the unsung heroes of the Great War, Anthony Ritchie likewise harks back to humble idioms. His exquisite oratorio resounds with the music of everyday folk, including carols and ballads sung in the trenches. Here too a solo violin abounds, depicting a fabled New Zealand soldier who took his instrument to the frontline.
