Richard II

Published for the first time, Richard II – 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 – having written approximately 25 minutes of original music scored for an orchestra with a full complement of brass and percussion – 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.”