Britten Thematic Catalogue
Beta Version
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2 fl (II=picc), ob, 2 cl in B flat, bn - 2 hn in F, tpt in B flat*, trbn - timp, perc (bd, cymbs) - str.
*a 2nd trumpet is advisable for the offstage part (bar 580 ff.).
The scenario is by Violet Alford (1881-1972), a folklorist and expert on the Basque region. Much of the score is based on the sea-shanty 'A-Roving'. Britten sent the ballet to the Camargo Society, a leading ballet promoter in the UK, but this did not result in any success. The work was later put aside and Britten did not hear it performed in his lifetime.