Perfect Harmonium

This is an extract from John Adams's Harmonium, one of my favourite pieces of music of all time, one of the pieces that provides solace, excitement or passion whenever I need it.

This second piece is the first of three extracts from Vaughan Williams's Flos Campi, basically a viola concerto. I've a huge soft spot for V-W, but some of his work has been played to death - such as The Lark Ascending - and sounds a bit saccharine. Not this. It's dark, mysterious and strangely beautiful.