Emily Howard鈥檚 penetrating trio for two voices Threnos sits in the midst of this exploration of the choral world of Ralph Vaughan Williams in which the 麻豆社 Singers and guest conductor Paul Spicer anticipate the evening performance of the composer鈥檚 Fifth Symphony. Vaughan Williams responded to some of the most striking imagery of the Old Testament with choral works of thrusting power and pictorial energy, not least in his Ezekiel-inspired A Vision of Aeroplanes in which the accompanying organ becomes a swooping, roaring flying machine.
With the composer鈥檚 distinctively idyllic voice shining through his Five English Folk Songs, this concert presents the breadth of Vaughan Williams鈥檚 expressive world in microcosm.
