• Tracks

Albion Records is proud to present this new album of unknown music from the early maturity of Ralph Vaughan Williams. In 1911, RVW wrote music for three plays by Euripides, then newly translated into English verse by Gilbert Murray. He wrote music that he considered worthy of the plays, while also satisfying the requirements of Isadora Duncan (for dancing) and Gilbert Murray (who was anxious that the music should not overwhelm the poetry). Whether experimental or not, Murray finally concluded that he liked it very much. There was a single public performance, of which we know very little, but none of the music was ever performed with the plays for which it had been written. This beautiful music, for mezzo soprano, female chorus and orchestra has been transcribed from the scores and parts, and is recorded for the first time.