ISBN 9780986459290.
Published for the first time, Richard II ,Ai Incidental music for a radio production of William Shakespeare\'s play (1944) by Vaughan Williams provides insight into a substantial work at the height of his maturity. Although the composer prepared this extensive score ,Ai having written approximately 25 minutes of original music scored for an orchestra with a full complement of brass and percussion ,Ai the BBC radio production never materialised. \"Documentation of the project is scarce\" writes editor Nathaniel Lew. He explains further: \"Queries in the orchestral score in a copyist\'s hand suggest that instrumental parts were prepared, but neither these parts nor any recording has survived, nor has any other correspondence or documentation of the commission.\" This publication brings a fresh look into this substantive work of Vaughan Williams with a modern engraved score. It contains the complete set of musical cues, carefully considered and edited from the originals now residing in the British Library. In the preface, Lew provides observations and analysis of Vaughan Williams\'s music in light of the BBC\'s radio format and this presentation of Shakespeare\'s script. While the cancellation of this production during wartime Britain remains a mystery, like the Sixth Symphony, Vaughan Williams\'s incidental music to Richard II is a testament to a troubled and modern age. |
