Ho Tommo.  I love a lot of Delius, particularly "Songs of Sunset", the underrated "Seven Danish Songs","Koanga", the Violin Concerto and Brigg Fair.  As you know, it's usual for composers to go in and out of fashion and, at the moment, Delius, a pretty original composer, seems to be a little out of fashion.  I've no doubt there will be a revival.  After all, if you and I like him - there must be.
Cheers

I agree completely - Delius is wonderful. I'm glad the Florida Suite has been mentioned as it is utterly delightful, but also very early, which might put it in danger of being dismissed as not "mature" Delius. Maybe it is not, but nevertheless it is very fine. The "La Calinda" was used in the opera "Koanga". Tasmin Little recorded the Violin Concerto. There are three other concertos, too: for Piano (early, and a bit Grieg-like - they were friends), for Cello (described as being more like an autumnal tone-poem than a concerto in a book on concertos), and the Double (for Violin and Cello). These are all fascinating and beautiful works for listeners who can enter Delius's sound-world. What about "The Mass of Life"? It is big-scale, and the beginning of Part two is extremely beautiful. Also I love especially "Sea-Drift". What a master of emotion Delius was. And to think that without the advocacy of Beecham none of might even know any Delius!

Yep, Delius is a favourite of mine too. I'm inclined to think that the miniatures show him at his very best, and the 12 minute works are more variable, but I do like Brigg Fair, Eventyr, In a Summer Garden, Paris (longer, but lovely - Groves did a wonderful recording of it; he was a great Delian), Song of Summer. Tommo, I agree about Walk to the Paradise Garden - it does it for me every time! Has anyone heard the complete Village Romeo and Juliet? I like the unaccompanied choral music, and Sea Drift and the Requiem; haven't yet attempted A Mass of Life yet; some of the songs are rather good too. I know a couple of the violin sonatas (No 3 and the early one) and in their different ways they are both enjoyable.

One day I'm going to sit down and work out what it is about this music I particularly like, but for the moment it is its timeless, hazy, quality, the imagined associations - escapism, but classy escapism!

Tony.  You can hear La Calinda in the complete recording of Koanga -  with chorus, banjos etc.  I love it.

Ho Tony.  The link below will give you details of the recording.  It looks as if now it may have to be imported.  There are a lot of "sound" excerpts on this linked site.  The last three on the right hand end of the upper line are in the La Calinda area.  I think you'll enjoy those.



http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=6410028

 #1      Hello, Tommo

I was intrigued by the timing of your posting as, instead of selecting my music on an ad hoc basis, Delius in particular, always makes a specific impact on me, during Spring, probably due to the influence of "A Mass of Life".   A start is made by viewing Ken Russell's Monitor film, "A Song of Summer", still vivid and complex in the BFI DVD remastering.

And Eric Fenby's memoir, "Delius as I Knew Him" is always worth revisiting before hearing "A Mass of Life".   This Sony 2CD set of the 1952 recording; Sir Thomas Beecham conducting the RPO/LPO Choir, as well as adding a typical pithy introductory talk; features Rosina Raisbeck, Monica Sinclair, Charles Craig, and Bruce Boyce as soloists.

Charles Burr's notes focus on Nietzsche's influence on Delius and refer to Philip Heseltine's:  "This turning to art, instead of religion and philosophy, is central to to the view of "A Mass of Life" expressed by Heseltine in his "Frederick Delius".         "........this work is not an attempt to set philosophy to music, as it has been foolishly described.   It is Nietzsche, the poet - an incomparably greater man than Nietzsche, the philosopher - who has been drawn upon for the text; one might almost say Nietzsche, the musician, for when his creative imagination soars highest his very words aspire towards the condition of music, seeking to express a wider significance than words alone can ever convey...........And Delius is, indeed, a pantheistic mystic whose vision has been attained by an all-embracing acceptation, a "yea-saying" to life."

Charles Groves also has a stereo recording of merit in the EMI Classics series.  Heather Harper, Helen Watts, Robert Tear, Benjamin Luxon; LPO and Choir.

For lighter measure, I turn to the Delius score for "Hassan" which has survived Flecker's turgid play; the "Florida Suite" for balmy indulgence and the ever constant delight of "Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring".

And the euphoria of completing my first posting on my new Dell Vista computer with thanks to Ron Dough for his guidance on the return journey to the R3 Boards.    Home again!

Bws,            Stanley

And a happy first day of spring to one and all!

Cuckoos all round!!!