Donald Macleod looks at William Walton's modest roots and how his talent and some opportune meetings saw him placed right at the heart of the social scene of 1920s London.

Born in Oldham, when the town was the biggest spinning centre in the world, it was William Walton's vocal talents that offered him the opportunity to leave. His chance was almost blown by his father who went on a pub crawl the night before the potentially life changing audition.

Whilst studying music at Oxford, Walton had the fortune to meet a certain Sacheverell Sitwell. It was the start of a long friendship with famously flamboyant and eccentric Sitwell clan; Sacherverell and his siblings brought Walton into their social circle and introduced him to the stars of the London set. The young composer threw himself into this world and enjoyed the attention of various women, not always happily. Lauded by the critics in his mid-twenties after the premiere of Façade, William Walton later composed a stunning Viola Concerto that placed him as the leading composer of the day. Show less