The Wandering Scholar

The Wandering Scholar, Op.50 is a chamber opera in one act by the English composer Gustav Holst. The libretto, by Clifford Bax, is based on the book The Wandering Scholars by Helen Waddell. The opera received its premiere at the David Lewis Theatre, Liverpool on 31 January, 1934. Holst did not hear the live performance because he was too ill to attend. The manuscript contains notes in Holst's own hand such as "More harmony" and "Tempo?", which in... more

The Wandering Scholar, Op.50 is a chamber opera in one act by the English composer Gustav Holst. The libretto, by Clifford Bax, is based on the book The Wandering Scholars by Helen Waddell. The opera received its premiere at the David Lewis Theatre, Liverpool on 31 January, 1934. Holst did not hear the live performance because he was too ill to attend. The manuscript contains notes in Holst's own hand such as "More harmony" and "Tempo?", which indicated that Holst had thoughts of revising the work. However, Holst did not revise the manuscript before his death in May 1934. Benjamin Britten prepared a chamber-orchestra version of the score for performance, and this version was given at the Cheltenham Music Festival in 1951. In 1968, Britten and Imogen Holst edited the opera for publication. The setting is a 13th-century farmhouse in France, the home of Louis, a farmer, and his wife Alison. Louis is preparing to go to town to obtain provisions, and tries to kiss Alison before leaving,... less