Composer's visit to city remembered

A visit to Wolverhampton in 1950 by Ralph Vaughan Williams, one of Britain's greatest composers, was being remembered in the city today as the 50th anniversary of his death is marked across the world.

Concerts celebrating his long and extensive career are being held from Shanghai to Boston, including a BBC Proms performance in his honour on Saturday. The musician, whose Lark Ascending regularly tops listener polls of classical works, was in demand throughout his life.

He was lured to Wolverhampton at the age of 78 by a rare performance of his Riders To The Sea opera.

The concert at Wolverhampton Technical College, now part of the university, was organised by Dr Percy Marshall Young, the college's dynamic director of music and a friend and biographer of the composer. The great man's attendance was an enormous coup for the town and prompted a civic reception.

Playing the oboe in the orchestra that night was Hilda Hunter, of Blackheath in Sandwell, who taught in Dr Young's department.

Now 88 and living in Shrewsbury, she travelled to the home in Clark Road, Tettenhall, of Dr Young's widow Renee Young to share her memories, bringing with her a programme of the March 25 concert, signed by Vaughan Williams, and her score sheet.

She said: "It was a unique occasion. We were not an established orchestra, just local people who had been brought together for this one-off concert. We rehearsed every week for quite a few weeks beforehand.

"I remember Vaughan Williams was introduced to us before the concert then he went to take his seat in the central aisle. He didn't want to be at the front and sat about a third of the way back. The hall was packed.

"We didn't see him afterwards but we were told that he approved of the performance and thought we played very well. I think it was a very special occasion for him. It was an outstanding event and remains one of the highlights of my life."

The composer stayed at the Victoria Hotel, now the Britannia, in Lichfield Street.