In the organizer's words:

Ralph Vaughan Williams:
Folk Songs of the Four Seasons

Joachim Raff:
Symphony No. 3 in F major op. 153 "In the Forest"

MDR Symphony Orchestra
MDR Children's Choir
Michael Francis | Conductor

As famous as Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" are, Vaughan Williams' "Folk Songs of the Four Seasons", which are based on English folk songs, are performed much less frequently. As a collector and keeper of English folk song culture, he combined folk melodies with characteristic harmony and transparent, luminous orchestration in this cantata. At the premiere in the Royal Albert Hall in 1950, 3,000 singers took to the stage. The MDR Children's Choir will not have quite as many, but the special sound power of this work will captivate you as a listener. Joachim Raff's 3rd Symphony with the epithet "Im Walde" forms the exciting conclusion to this vocal symphonic program.