In 1907, Ralph Vaughan Williams moved to Paris to study orchestration with Maurice Ravel. This was the beginning of an enduring friendship that spanned a world war and sent British music in an entirely new direction. At the outbreak of the First World War, both composers enlisted for active duty, serving in ambulance brigades. Profoundly affected by his experiences, Ravel composed Le Tombeau de Couperin as a homage to his friends who had lost their lives during the conflict. Rather…