THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

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

August 18th 1956.

Dear Frank,

I fear I must insist that all or nothing of Antartica must be done.¹
As regards P.K. I shall very shortly have the musical side ready, and am marking a few cuts in addition to those already marked in the copy.  Also a few alterations in the words of the lyrics. So there is no reason why the R.A.M.² should not get to work on the musical side if they want to: and they can have the dialogue as soon as possible, but probably not before the beginning of the New Year.  Are you in favour of modifying the present Libretto or writing an entirely new one?  Ursula is toying with the idea of doing it all in alexandrines or rhyming couplets.³
Yrs

RVW

1. it is not clear to what this refers
2. Royal Academy of Music
2. John Neve had conducted a performance of The Poisoned Kiss, Catalogue of Works 1936/4, at Cheltenham School in April 1956,which had stimulated VW to buy the copyright in the libretto from Evelyn Sharp so that he and Ursula could revise it and make a new performing version of the opera incorporating spoken dialogue and a number of cuts (see Catalogue of Works p.157). The new version was performed at the Royal Academy of Music on 11th July 1957. See Kennedy, Works of Vaughan Williams, p.332.