THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

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

December 31st 1957.

Dear Bush,

Of course I want to be in this celebration of Rutland, and if you think a dinner is the right thing I should like to attend.  Personally, from what I know of him, I should have thought that a real slap-up dinner, with waiters and champagne would be distasteful to him, – besides, is he not a vegetarian and teetotaler?  I should have thought that we ought to spend any money we can collect on the performance of one of his operas.¹
I am sending on your letter to the R.V.W. Trust, they will be having a meeting soon, and I should like to put the case to them.  Could you let me know what you estimate the production² of such a production would be, and any other particulars that you think would be useful.
Would it be worth your while to try co-operation with the New Opera Company? (c/o Leon Lovett, 40 Haslemere Avenue Hounslow W. Middx)  I suppose that Steuart Wilson is in on this?  For, as you doubtless know, he is a great friend and admirer.
Yrs

R Vaughan Williams

1.  Bush had written to VW about plans for marking Rutland Boughton’s 80th birthday on 23 January 1958, asking him to join the organising committee. Boughton had been, like Bush, a member of the Communist Party. The proposal was to give Boughton a dinner in either London or Gloucester and to stage one or more of his operas, possibly his last work Death of Arthur and Sir Galahad. The plan for the production of the two operas came to nothing and they remain unperformed.
2.  sic. i.e. production costs