During the tumultuous decades of a world at war, Ralph Vaughan Williams applied rigorous scholarship – and some sturdy walking shoes – to the preservation of hundreds of folksongs and hymn tunes. His field work anchored the English people in a shared musical heritage. And it seeped into his compositions.

"RVW's" 1943 Symphony No. 5 fuses original material with two Anglican Easter hymns – one of which, he composed himself – for his pastoral-sounding Symphony No. 5. Robert Spano leads the internationally renowned Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in music by Vaughan Williams and J.S. Bach. Rising star soprano and Marietta native Maria Valdes makes her ASO debut.