# Where to start with Delius?



## Tallisman (May 7, 2017)

What would you consider to be, or rather what are generally considered to be Frederick Delius' greatest, most essential works? And if your answer is 'none', then go away.

:tiphat:


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Violin concerto
Cello concerto
Song of the high hills
Seadrift
North country sketches
Paris

for starters......

A good album to start:
View attachment 94799


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## Rach Man (Aug 2, 2016)

I find much of the music of Delius very enjoyable. I must say that I like his orchestral pieces more than the vocal pieces. This has nothing to do with the quality of the music. I just prefer orchestral music over vocal music. Maybe another person on the forum will tell you about the vocal music.

Here are some of my favorites. I think these are very enjoyable pieces.

1. Florida Suite
2. On Hearing The First Cuckoo In Spring
3. A Song Before Sunrise
4. Sleigh Ride
5. Summer Evening
6. In A Summer Garden
7. Over The Hills & Far Away

By the way, when I started to write this reply, I was going to show you the two CDs that I have of Delius' orchestral works. But when I went to Amazon to find pictures of the CDs, I found this.









https://www.amazon.com/Delius-7CD-S...ie=UTF8&qid=1496147254&sr=1-1&keywords=delius

You can buy this 7-disc set of Thomas Beecham's wonderful interpretations of many of Delius' important music for under $15 (including shipping). Having seen this, and having owned a few Delius' CDs, I am going to add this 7-disc set to my collection as soon as I finish this reply.

I hope that you enjoy Delius. I find his music just wonderful.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I'm guessing most here would nominate some of the more famous orchestral pieces such as _Brigg Fair_, _In a Summer Garden_, _Florida Suite_ and _On Hearing the First Cuckoo of Spring_.

These, plus various other short-ish orchestral works, would make for an ideal 'Delius starter pack' but I think the real essence of Delius is to be found with some of the vocal/choral works with orchestra such as _Songs of Sunset_ (after Dowson) and _Sea Drift_ (after Whitman) along with the _Songs of Farewell_ (Whitman again) which were composed near the end of his life.

There is also a cluster of fine chamber works from his maturity, such as the cello sonata, (2nd) string quartet and three violin sonatas. His operas are generally considered to be a mixed bag but _Koanga_, with its Spanish-owned Louisiana plantation setting during the 18th century, is the most exotic and possibly his most satisfying, too.

If the first choice would be to go for orchestral works, then I'd suggest this:


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## Tchaikov6 (Mar 30, 2016)

I'm not a huge fan of Delius, but here are my top 5:

1. Brigg Fair
2. A Village Romeo and Juliet
3. The Song of the High Hills
4. A Mass of Life
5. Eventyr (Once Upon a Time)


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

My liking for Delius tends to oscillate between really enjoying and 'ehh', but the one work which I can always enjoy is his Florida Suite. I have both the stereo Beecham and Vernon Handley's Ulster Orchestra/Chandos recording, and find the latter to be the one I mostly go to.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Sorry, but Delius makes my mind drift, see.


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## Judith (Nov 11, 2015)

Don't live too far from where Delius lived in Bradford!!

Leeds is not far away!


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## WildThing (Feb 21, 2017)

A Village Romeo and Juliet is a very intoxicating and very underrated opera.


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## Tchaikov6 (Mar 30, 2016)

WildThing said:


> A Village Romeo and Juliet is a very intoxicating and very underrated opera.


Indeed, a wonderful opera.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

I claim not to be a great fan of Delius. I do, however, appreciate hearing the _Florida Suite _(or, is that title more accurately _Florida_, Suite for Orchestra?) when it appears on the radio, and at such times I think to myself "I should explore Delius more deeply".

Unfortunately, I never have.

I do have in my collection the EMI box set "Delius: 150th Anniversary Edition" - 18 CDs.









It remains encased in the original shrinkwrap. I've had this set for some years now and never opened it. (I have played a few Delius pieces from individual discs in my collection -- the Violin and the Cello Concerti, mostly, though not often.) I'm prompted by this post to open the collection today and delve deeper into this composer. Perhaps in a week or so, if I attend to this contention diligently, I will be better informed to offer recommendations.

Meanwhile I stick to my offer of the _Florida Suite _(_Florida_, Suite...) as a worthy recommendation.

By the way, here is a listing of what is available in the rather formidable EMI box set mentioned above:

Track-listing

*CD 1* [79.20]
[1] Sleigh Ride (Winternacht) 5.30
[2] Marche caprice (ed & arr. Beecham) 4.00
[3] Over the hills and far away (ed. Beecham) 12.57
[4] A Dance Rhapsody no. 2 7.40
[5] -[9] A Dance Rhapsody no. 1 12.01
[10] On the Mountains (Paa vidderne) 12.17
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Thomas Beecham
[11] -[15] Promotional presentation by Sir Thomas Beecham in October 1948 for the launch of the 78rpm set of A Village Romeo and Juliet 25.02
*
*CD 2* [78.50]
[1] The Walk to the Paradise Garden from A Village Romeo and Juliet (arr. Beecham) 9.45
[2] A Song of Summer 11.19
[3] Irmelin Prelude 5.44
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir John Barbirolli
[4] Late Swallows (arr. Fenby) 10.49
Hallé Orchestra/Sir John Barbirolli
[5] Rehearsing Appalachia (16.VII.1970) 2.32
[6] -[22] Appalachia - Variations on an Old Slave Song with final chorus 37.19 (rev. & ed. Beecham)
Ambrosian Singers (chorus master: John McCarthy)
Hallé Orchestra/Sir John Barbirolli

*CD 3* [75.50]
[1] Paris - The Song of a great City 21.49
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Charles Mackerras
[2] In a Summer Garden 14.12
Hallé Orchestra/Vernon Handley
Two Pieces for Small Orchestra
[3] No. 1 On hearing the first cuckoo in Spring 5.42
[4] No. 2 Summer night on the river 6.23
[5] Intermezzo from 'Fennimore and Gerda' (arr. Fenby) 4.54
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Vernon Handley
[6] -[8] Piano Concerto in C minor 22.40
Piers Lane, piano
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Vernon Handley

*CD 4* [78.55]
[1] -[4] Florida, suite (Revised and edited by Sir Thomas Beecham) 38.15
[5] -[27] Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody 16.02
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/Richard Hickox
[28] Summer Evening (arr. Beecham) 6.30
[29] La Calinda from Koanga (arr. Fenby) 4.05
[30] Air and Dance 4.05
[31] Intermezzo & 2.13
[32] Serenade from Hassan (arr. Beecham) 2.23
Northern Sinfonia of England/Richard Hickox
[33] -[34] Two Aquarelles, arr. Fenby 4.11
The Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields/Sir Neville Marriner

*CD 5* [76.50]
[1] Lebenstanz (Life's Dance) 15.21
[2] -[5] North Country Sketches 26.46
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Charles Groves
[6] -[13] Sea Drift (Whitman) 25.02
John Noble, baritone/Liverpool Philharmonic Choir
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Charles Groves
[14] Cynara (Dowson) 9.30
John Shirley-Quirk, baritone
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Charles Groves

*CD 6* [69.30]
[1] -[3] Violin Concerto 27.14
Yehudi Menuhin, violin
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Meredith Davies
[4] -[6] Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra 21.50
Yehudi Menuhin, violin/Paul Tortelier, cello
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Meredith Davies
[7] -[11] Cello Concerto 24.37
Jacqueline du Pré, cello
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent

*CD 7* [79.00]
ALL WORKS ARRANGED BY ERIC FENBY 1906-1997
[1] Dance* 2.36 Two Pieces for flute and strings*
[2] 1. La Calinda 3.36
[3] 2. Air and Dance 4.56
[4] -[8] Five Little Pieces for small orchestra 9.50
[9] -[12] Sonata for String Orchestra 28.54
*Elena Duran, flute
Bournemouth Sinfonietta/Eric Fenby
[13] -[16] String Quartet 28.44
Britten Quartet
Peter Manning & Keith Pascoe, violins
Peter Lale, viola _ Andrew Shulman, cello

*CD 8* [78.40]
[1] -[3] Violin Sonata No. 1 22.50
[4] -[6] Violin Sonata No. 2 13.32
[7] -[9] Violin Sonata No. 3 17.10
Yehudi Menuhin, violin _ Eric Fenby, piano
[10] Légende in E flat 8.15
Tasmin Little, violin _ John Lenehan, piano
[11] -[13] Cello Sonata 14.19
Moray Welsh, cello _ Israela Margalit, piano
[14] Dance for Harpsichord 2.21
Igor Kipnis, harpsichord

*CD 9* [67.00]
[1] Twilight Fancies (Evening Voices) (Bjørnson; English: Copeland) 3.49
Ian Bostridge, tenor _ Julius Drake, piano
[2] -[3] To be sung of a summer night on the water (wordless) 4.15
Choir of King's College, Cambridge/Sir Philip Ledger
[4] Wanderer's Song (Symons) 3.35
Baccholian Singers of London
Rogers Covey-Crump, Ian Partridge, Ian Thompson, Paul Elliott, tenors
Ian Humphris, Stephen Varcoe, baritone; Michael George, Brian Etheridge, bass
[5] Heimkehr (The Homeward Journey) (Vinje) orch. Sondheimer 4.40
Marjorie Thomas, mezzo-soprano
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Thomas Beecham
[6] Twilight Fancies (Evening Voices) (Bjørnson) orch. Beecham 4.12
[7] Whither (Autumn) (Holstein) orch. Beecham 2.42
[8] The Violet (Holstein) orch. Gibson 1.53
Elsie Suddaby, soprano
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Thomas Beecham
[9] Whither (Autumn) (Holstein) orch. Beecham 2.45
[10] The Violet (Holstein) orch. Gibson 1.48
[11] I-Brasîl (MacLeod) orch. Heseltine (Warlock) 2.45
[12] Klein Venevil (Bjørnson) [sung in German] 1.51
Dora Labbette, soprano
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Thomas Beecham
[13] Twilight Fancies (Evening Voices) (Bjørnson) 4.18
[14] Cradle Song (Ibsen) 2.13
[15] The Nightingale (Welhaven) 2.03
Dora Labbette, soprano _ Sir Thomas Beecham, piano
[16] Irmelin Rose (Jacobsen) } 4.20
[17] So white, so soft, so sweet Is she (Johnson)
[18] Le ciel est, par-dessus le toit (Verlaine) 4.24
[19] La lune blanche (Verlaine)
Dora Labbette, soprano _ Gerald Moore, piano
[20] To The Queen Of My Heart (Shelley) 4.47
[21] Love's Philosophy (Shelley)
Heddle Nash, tenor _ Gerald Moore, piano
[22] Caprice and Elegy 9.25
Beatrice Harrison, cello
Chamber Orchestra/Eric Fenby

*CD 10* [79.10]
[1] Eventyr (Once upon a time) 16.14
Hallé Orchestra/Vernon Handley
[2] -[27] Hassan, Incidental music (Flecker) 62.56
Martyn Hill, tenor _ Brian Rayner Cook, baritone
Bournemouth Sinfonietta Choir
Bournemouth Sinfonietta/Vernon Handley

*CD 11* [75.08]
[1] -[8] Songs of Sunset (Dowson) 29.31
Dame Janet Baker, mezzo-soprano _ John Shirley-Quirk, baritone
Liverpool Philharmonic Choir
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Charles Groves
[9] An Arabesque (Jacobsen) 11.38
John Shirley-Quirk, baritone
Liverpool Philharmonic Choir
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Charles Groves
A Mass of Life (from Nietzsche: Also sprach Zarathustra)
[10] -[14] FIRST PART 33.41

*CD 12* [1] -[8] SECOND PART [66.07]
A Mass of Life (from Nietzsche: Also sprach Zarathustra)
*
Heather Harper, soprano _ Helen Watts, contralto
Robert Tear, tenor _ Benjamin Luxon, baritone
London Philharmonic Choir
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Charles Groves
*
*CD 13 *[78.15]
[1] -[5] Requiem 30.35
Heather Harper, soprano _ John Shirley-Quirk, baritone
Royal Choral Society
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Meredith Davies
[6] -[11] Idyll (Once I passed through a populous city) (Whitman) 21.32
Heather Harper, soprano _ John Shirley-Quirk, baritone
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Meredith Davies
[12] A Song before Sunrise 6.09
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent
[13] -[17] Songs of Farewell (Whitman) 19.23
Royal Choral Society
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent

*CD 14* [61.16]
Koanga
[1] -[16] Prologue, Act 1 & 2

*CD 15* [76.32]
Koanga
[1] -[13] Act 3 & Epilogue 51.34
[14] -[17] The Song of the High Hills (wordless) 24.58
Liverpool Philharmonic Choir
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Charles Groves

*CD 16 *[68.10]
A Village Romeo and Juliet
[1] -[22] Scenes 1 - 4 (inc.)

*CD 17* [68.46]
A Village Romeo and Juliet
[1] -[15] Scenes 5 & 6 41.26
John Alldis Choir/John Alldis
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Meredith Davies
*
Illustrated talk by Eric Fenby 27.20

*CD 18* [78.24]
Fennimore and Gerda
[1] -[15] Pictures 1 - 11 (inc.)
*
Danish Radio Chorus
Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra/Meredith Davies

EMI Classics 18cds 0841752

Read more: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2012/Mar12/Delius_150_0841752.htm#ixzz4iaRrdYkp


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## alan davis (Oct 16, 2013)

WildThing said:


> A Village Romeo and Juliet is a very intoxicating and very underrated opera.


Couldn't agree more.


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## Brahmsian Colors (Sep 16, 2016)

I would begin with Summer Evening, In a Summer Garden and A Song of Summer---three of his nicest pieces.


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## Antiquarian (Apr 29, 2014)

I have to agree that the _Florida Suite_ would be a very good choice to start. With all respect to the Beecham/RPO, I prefer Hickox conducting the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

elgars ghost said:


> I'm guessing most here would nominate some of the more famous orchestral pieces such as _Brigg Fair_, _In a Summer Garden_, _Florida Suite_ and _On Hearing the First Cuckoo of Spring_.
> 
> These, plus various other short-ish orchestral works, would make for an ideal 'Delius starter pack' but I think the real essence of Delius is to be found with some of the vocal/choral works with orchestra such as _Songs of Sunset_ (after Dowson) and _Sea Drift_ (after Whitman) along with the _Songs of Farewell_ (Whitman again) which were composed near the end of his life.
> 
> ...


I would recommend this one too and as mentioned above if you do like opera A Village, ( better watch the DVD)


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## huntsman (Jan 28, 2013)

Over the Hills
Brigg Fair
Florida Suite
Sea Drift

If you're not hooked after that, then in your own words, "Go away."..


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Delius used to leave me scratching my head and struggling to stay awake, but it was Brigg Fair that turned me around as recently as a year ago. Now I really enjoy all the work I've heard from him. I may never understand why my mind plays these kinds of tricks on me.


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