Romance for violin and orchestra

Vaughan Williams's hauntingly beautiful The Lark Ascending is one of his most enduringly popular works. A serene romance, the work takes its title from a poem by George Meredith. The violin's magical evocation of the lark's 'chirrup, whistle, slur and shake', as it soars above delicate orchestral textures, demonstates the composer's mastery of the pastoral idiom.