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Program Notes
Commissioned by the Greek Play Committee of Cambridge, England, Vaughan Williams composed The Wasps for a performance of Aristophanes’ comedy of the same name. It was first premiered in 1909 and is one of the very few times Vaughan Williams explored incidental music.
He later extracted several pieces of the complete work into an orchestral suite, dubbed the “Aristophanic Suite.” The “Overture” from this suite is often performed as an independent concert piece.
Instrumentation
Clarinet Choir -
E Flat Clarinet
4 B Flat Clarinets
Alto Clarinet
Bass Clarinet
Contra Alto Clarinet
Contrabass Clarinet
The B Flat Clarinet and Bass Clarinet parts include divisi passages; however, they can be performed one per part if that player plays the top split.