Credits:

Ashley Wass

Description:

“The Wasps” was created when the Cambridge University Drama Society, which was set to stage a play by Aristophanesone of ancient Greeces leading comic playwrightsin Greek, commissioned Vaughan Williams (18721958) to compose the incidental music. The brilliant fusion of witty music and English folk songs is something only he could have written, and the humorous musical ideas in the March, in particular, are sure to bring a smile to your face. The Piano Concerto was written with the pianist Harriet Cohenwho was Buckss loverin mind, and although it is quite avant-garde, it was not highly regarded by audiences or critics at the time. In 1946, he attempted to revise it as a Concerto for Two Pianos, and in the process, removed a quote from his friend Baxs symphony that he had subtly woven into the piece, claiming that Bax didnt notice it. Although the work underwent these twists and turns, its rich an