THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

From R. Vaughan Williams,
10, Hanover Terrace,
Regents Park,
London, N.W.1.

January 28th 1958.

My dear Margery,

Things are rather piling up for me – there is going to be a run-through of my new symphony on March 21st, to which you will get an invitation – on April 2nd is the first performance, to which I hope you can come: on May 16th I have to go to get an Honorary degree at Nottingham, and between those dates we have been offered one of the Walton villas in Ischia.¹
We shall both badly want a holiday then, and it is an opportunity, which both for my own sake and for Ursula’s I cannot miss.  This means I fear, that we shall have to miss the Festival this year.  I am very sorry for our own sake, but I think it is quite a good plan to show that we are not essential there, and that Bill can get on very well by himself.²
Love from us both – till Thursday
Ralph

1.  The Ninth Symphony was to be given its first performance at the Royal Festival Hall on 2nd April by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Malcolm Sargent. It was revised between the run-through on 21 March and the first performance.
2.  This probably marks the culmination of the gradual handing over of the direction of the Leith Hill Musical Festival by VW to William Cole.