Hugh Wood's Scenes from Comus was commissioned by the BBC and premiered at a BBC Prom on August 2, 1965.
Historical Context
Milton's Comus, the source material for Hugh Wood's Scenes from Comus, was an early 17th-century masque presented at Ludlow Castle in 1634.
Compositional Technique
The Symphony by Hugh Wood incorporates musical and literary references, including a quotation of the Love motive from Wagner's Die Walküre and a Greek quotation from Cavafy.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Hugh Wood's music is influenced by composers like Stravinsky, Janácek, Gerhard, and Messiaen, and also deliberately quotes Mozart, Wagner, and Elgar.
Composition History
Hugh Wood's Symphony, his most ambitious work, was written between the late 1970s and early 1980s and premiered at a BBC Prom in July 1982.
Performer Biography
Sir Andrew Davis, the conductor, was the Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra for many years and became its first-ever Conductor Laureate.
Composer Biography
Hugh Wood, the composer, initially went to Oxford to study history before pursuing full-time musical studies.
