At The Boar's Head

At The Boar's Head (Op. 42) is an opera by Gustav Holst, described by the composer as 'A Musical Interlude In One Act'. The libretto, also by Holst, is taken from Shakespeare's plays Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2. It was written in 1924, based on folk songs and traditional country dance tunes, and first performed in 1925.

Gustav Holst (1874-1934) was an English composer and teacher. Having studied under Stanford and Parry, he became a close friend of Vaughan Williams – they would often critique each other’s work – and influenced composers such as Tippet and Britten. He is best remembered for hisPlanets suite.