Sir John in Love is an opera in four acts by the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. The libretto, by the composer himself, is based on Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor. Vaughan Williams originally titled his opera The Fat Knight. In addition to Shakespeare, Vaughan Williams used texts by Phillip Sidney, Thomas Middleton, and Beaumont and Fletcher in his libretto. As well, Vaughan Williams incorporated traditional English folk tunes ...
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Sir John in Love is an opera in four acts by the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. The libretto, by the composer himself, is based on Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor. Vaughan Williams originally titled his opera The Fat Knight. In addition to Shakespeare, Vaughan Williams used texts by Phillip Sidney, Thomas Middleton, and Beaumont and Fletcher in his libretto. As well, Vaughan Williams incorporated traditional English folk tunes into his music, including "Greensleeves".
The opera was first performed at the Parry Opera Theatre, Royal College of Music, London on 21 March 1929, in an amateur presentation. Its first professional performance was on 9 April 1946, at Sadler's Wells Theatre. Performances of the opera have remained rare, including 1978 and 1988 productions at Lehman College (New York City) and a 1997 Barbican concert performance. After 1958, the opera remained unstaged in the UK until the 2006 production at English National Opera (ENO), which was ENO's first...
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