Thoroughly enjoyed watching The Passions of Vaughan Williams, which I chanced upon the other day idly browsing the enchanting vistas of youtube. It confirmed what was already pretty obvious from reading between the lines of Ursula's biography and Michael Kennedy's book on the works themselves. I don't think you really need to know that VW was involved romantically with Ursula from their very first meeting to appreciate his later music but it does confirm his deep humanity, if that were needed. The funny thing is that you come out admiring the two of them even more when given a fuller understanding of what was going on.
The whole programme is, by the way, a sterling example of what the BBC has always been really good at. This is truly educational television. I can't imagine anyone watching this without wanting to listen to the full works immediately.
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