The Banks of Green Willow, the final completed work of George Butterworth (1885-1916), has come to evoke both the fading world of Edwardian pastoralism and, through the tragically shortened life of its composer, the loss of a generation in the trenches of the First World War. It is based on two folk tunes that the composer gathered on his trips to Sussex in 1907. Composed in 1913, it premiered the following year in West Kirby, Cheshire, with combined members of the Halle and Liverpool orchestras under the direction of Adrian Boult. The first London performance took place on March 20, 1914, the last time that Butterworth would hear his own music played. Instrumentation: 2.2.2.2: 2.1.0.0: Hp: Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set).