Over centuries of musical history, composers have been influenced by the folk music of their countries. Names like Chopin, Dvořák, Mussorgsky and de Falla spring to mind and, closer to us, people like Grieg, Hugo Alfvén and Peterson-Berger. One of the leading British composers of his generation, Ralph Vaughan Williams worked towards creating a specifically English idiom. He was much influenced by folk song, so it is highly appropriate that music by him both starts and ends this programme. In between, contributions by composers like Delius, Elgar, Holst and others add up to a splendid panorama of English pastoral music.