Vaughan Williams: In Windsor Forest

Description

This cantata was adapted by the composer from music from his opera Sir John in Love. Comprising five choral songs, it features texts by Shakespeare (from 'Much Ado About Nothing') and his near contemporaries Thomas Ravenscroft, John Lyly, and Thomas Campion. The first song is a gleeful denunciation of men and their devious ways, scored for women's voices, while the second is a rollicking drinking song for men's voices. The third maintains this energy, with sparkling orchestration to evoke the 'fairies' of its title, before the 'Wedding Chorus' changes the mood to one of blissful tranquillity. The Epilogue is celebratory and grand, bringing the cantata to a powerful close.