BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert

Marking 100 years since Armistice was declared, the Nash Ensemble explores powerful chamber music written both before and after World War I.

The Nash Ensemble presents a snapshot of two defining moments in Britain’s history: a country in the early throes of war and the aftermath of that conflict. It’s a portrait of emotional struggle, from Elgar’s 1914 Sospiri, a heartfelt and tender adagio for strings, to Vaughan Williams’ Romance – also dated to around 1914 – a delicate fragment that exploits the lamenting tones of the viola. 

With Frederick Delius’ lilting and optimistic Air and Dance of 1915; Arthur Bliss’ post-war portrait of a bustling and vibrant society, from ‘The Ballroom’ to the ‘Tube at Oxford Circus’; and Gurney’s song cycle, a love letter to the English countryside, this programme is also testament to resilience in the face of fear.