Programme note: 

“The Decadence Waltz” was originally composed for the soundtrack to Stephen Fry’s film “Bright Young Things” (an adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s satirical novel “Vile Bodies”).

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The story is based around the decadent and bohemian lifestyle of the young and wealthy of the 1920s – in the heart of the Jazz Age. With the brooding prospect of another world war, the mood changes from one of light - hearted superficiality to bleak desolation. 

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This piece appears at the climax of the film when an extravagant party takes place. The waltz is bookended by two slower sections. A mournful clarinet represents the outsider who is planning to gate - crash the party. The waltz then starts up in a fairly sedate manner but eventually the hedonism gets out of control, the waltz gets faster and eventually crashes and burns. The outsider is once again left isolated and defeated.  

 

Recent performances:

BBC SO.  Barbican October 2024

BBC CO Alexander Palace “Friday Night is Music Night” March 2025