John Wilson - Made in Britain (2011)

‘Made in Britain’ is a rich and nostalgic journey through English music straddling the turn of the 20th century, with John Wilson, today’s leading proponent of British Music, at the helm of the UK’s oldest orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.

‘Made in Britain’ celebrates a rich period of English music surrounding the turn of the 20th century, including evergreens such as Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending (for years No 1 in the Classic FM Hall of Fame) and Elgar’s Salut d’amour, as well as the folk-inspired Two English Idylls by Butterworth and English Folk Song Suite by Vaughan Williams. The programme opens with Walton’s commedia dell’arte overture Scapino and closes with the Nell Gwyn Overture by Edward German, music director of London’s Globe Theatre from 1888. Along the way we take A Walk to the Paradise Garden from Delius’ opera A Village Romeo and Juliet, and stroll through Bax’s woodland evocation The Happy Forest.

Overseeing this celebration is today’s leading interpreter of British Music, John Wilson conducting the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra which, founded in 1840, is steeped in this glorious musical tradition. Hard on the heels of Wilson’s high-profile headlining of the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain, BBC Radio 3’s Light Fantastic Weekend, and a televised appearance with his eponymous orchestra at the BBC Proms, Made in Britain catches a prevailing mood and taps into today’s huge appetite for an evocative era.