Four great contemporaries with hugely different voices. Vaughan Williams’ fascinating early Piano quintet still speaks an English dialect of Brahms, but is a strong and successful piece on its own terms. Finzi’s Eclogue is a lovely example of the English ‘pastoral’ style we associate with the mature Vaughan Williams. Delius had a different vision of England, highly-coloured and swooningly romantic, while Elgar’s own favourite among his works, his early Serenade, already shows his unmistakeable personality. We end our festival with a gorgeous Scottish farewell.

Delius Violin sonata, op. posth. | Elgar Larghetto from Serenade for strings, op.20 | Finzi Eclogue, for solo piano and strings, op.10 | Vaughan Williams Piano quintet | Peter Maxwell Davies Farewell to Stromness

Every year the Oxford Chamber Music Festival brings together some of the most exciting classical musicians in Europe to live and play together for a week. Creative sparks fly as the musicians change musical partners and master the widest variety of sound-worlds.

This year’s festival celebrates the infinite variety of music from the British Isles, across four centuries and four nations: from Celtic folk influences to English pastoral; from Renaissance fantasy to Radiohead; from the internationally-celebrated Vaughan Williams, Elgar and Britten to hidden treasures and exciting finds by composers you may not even have heard of – yet!