Serenade

About

Like in the old days at eight o’clock— we are serenading. In 1888, Elgar dedicated his Salut d’Amour to his future wife as an engagement gift; the short piece has since become one of the most famous romances in music history. The eight songs in Britten’s Serenade are impressions of the night in various forms, from pastoral and nocturne to elegy, hymn, and sonnet. This romantic program concludes with Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Symphony No. 5, conducted by Howard Griffiths.