ooh, which one?
The worst is Universal Edition - they charge an absolute fortune for contemporary music. I had to find a copy of "Cry" by Giles Swayne for one of my dissertations - it's not too expensive now, but was unbelievable a few years back.
(The Empress it seems you CAN polish a turd!, Wed 10 Mar 2010, 20:51, 1 reply)

I'm trying to find "In the Fen Country" by Vaughan Williams
I've looked in so many online publishers- musicnotes etc. It just isn't there. I found one site that had it and, like I said, £40! They called it a "study" edition which presumably means it has room to make annotations.

I really just need a score. I'm trying to analyse it a' la Agawu/Semiotics but I don't think it's going to happen. :P
(Sivvus trolley collision in the fruit aisle led to a jam, Wed 10 Mar 2010, 21:01, closed)

Indeed
Spent £20 last week on a not very well produced score for Honegger's Cantate de Noel, which appears to be the only edition available. So I'm really expected to spend £500 for 25 members of the choir, especially when we only want the final section (the Laudate Dominum)?

Aaargh.

On the upside - In the Fen Country is lovely. (As is the Honegger.)
(ChaRleyTroniC is invincible with his chips and cheese, Wed 10 Mar 2010, 21:46, closed)

I had a similar problem with a choir
admittedly it was a normal score- Rutter's Requiem- but the library I requested it from sent Rutter's arrangement of Faure's Requiem. The only alternative was to buy the score and then photocopy enough choir parts, which cost far too much. (The library's response was "We're not expected to know anything about music". X( )

I played "Fen Country" last year with my orchestra and adored it- I think it lends itself to interpretation well, too, which is why I'm annoyed that I can't get hold of it! I may resort to Greensleeves at this rate.
(Sivvus trolley collision in the fruit aisle led to a jam, Wed 10 Mar 2010, 22:09, closed)