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Programme Note

Synopsis:

A metrical spoof on ancient Greek verse accompanied by Viennese waltzes. This satire tells the story of Helen after the death of her husband, Menelaus. Helen, deciding that she must find someone she can love, goes searching for the ghost of Achilles on the Island of the Blest. After wooing him back to life, she carries him off to a secluded island but eventually decides that they must separate before their love for each other dies. She sends him back to resume his place among the ghosts and thinking she has exhausted the possibilities of life, decides to wait for death. But when a young fisherman appears she decides not to retire after all.