Two Insect Pieces – for Oboe and Piano

These two pieces were written by Britten in 1935 for the oboist Sylvia Spencer, who had played in early performances of his Phantasy Quartet, Op.2 . the first performances of The Grasshopper and The Wasp did not take place until 1979, when they were performed by Janet Craxton and Margot Wright as part of a memorial concert for Sylvia Spencer at the Royal College Of Music, Manchester.