Delius

[Stanfordian]

By my reckoning yesterday was the 150th anniversary of Delius’s birth. I couldn’t see anything on Radio 3 in the Radio Times listings or the Radio 3 website. I would have thought that Delius could have been ‘Composer of the Week’ at least, but no, it's Elgar this week instead. To their credit Classic FM played lots of Delius’s music yesterday.

[cloughie]

By my reckoning yesterday was the 150th anniversary of Delius’s birth. I couldn’t see anything on Radio 3 in the Radio Times listings or the Radio 3 website. I would have thought that Delius could have been ‘Composer of the Week’ at least, but no, it's Elgar this week instead. To their credit Classic FM played lots of Delius’s music yesterday.

What does it say about Delius - not a cuckoo from the BBC and three and a half hours for you to get a reaction. Beecham, Fenby and Grainger, Ken Russell and Max Adrian must all be turning in their graves in Paradise Garden. Florida Suite and Appalachia would be a good choices for the 'recommendations' board.

[PJPJ]

What does it say about Delius - not a cuckoo from the BBC and three and a half hours for you to get a reaction......

I put it down to shock. Very sad and disappointing that Delius was ignored by the BBC.

[Pianorak]

Consolation?

http://www.europadisc.co.uk/classical/32629/Beecham_Conducts_Delius.htm

[Suffolkcoastal]

This doesn't surprise me at all, I've noticed that Classic FM has consistently outdone R3 by playing the music of composers on their anniversary dates over the years when I've dipped in to the channel. I expect though R3 will be all over Debussy on the 22nd August as he's one of their 'favourite' composers, (come to think it, now I've mentioned this they'll probably try and do the opposite!).

[cloughie]

This doesn't surprise me at all, I've noticed that Classic FM has consistently outdone R3 by playing the music of composers on their anniversary dates over the years when I've dipped in to the channel. I expect though R3 will be all over Debussy on the 22nd August as he's one of their 'favourite' composers.......

Mine too can't wait. Loadsaclaude at the Proms? Will be interesting to see what % Delius and Debussy get at the great Summer festival.

[Stanfordian]

What does it say about Delius - not a cuckoo from the BBC and three and a half hours for you to get a reaction. Beecham, Fenby and Grainger, Ken Russell and Max Adrian must all be turning in their graves in Paradise Garden. Florida Suite and Appalachia would be a good choices for the 'recommendations' board.

Yes it did take a while to get a reaction to my post. Whilst not making any outlandish claims for greatness I think Delius's music is most underrated. For many years I neglected Delius myself. I believe that his consistently high quality music is almost always appealing. Thankfully Sir Mark Elder is a great champion of Delius and his real enthusiasm has made me reassess the composer. I enjoyed Sir Mark conducting Sea Drift for baritone, chorus and orchestra with Roderick Williams and the Halle Orchestra and Choir last year in Manchester. Even more neglected than his orchestral works are Delius’s chamber music and songs which I find most rewarding. My particular favourites are: North Country Sketches; Florida Suite; Cello Sonata; String Quartet ‘Late swallows’; Sea Drift, Songs of Farewell; Songs of Sunset; On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring; Summer Night on the River and the opera Village Romeo and Juliet. To be honest I like almost all I have heard of Delius's music.

[gradus]

Since seeing the Ken Russell Delius film i've had FD's music in my mind and just found (on Spotify) the original Beecham recordings of Brigg Fair, On Cooking the First Hero and The Walk to the Paradise Garden - such eloquent and inspired playing, the years just drop away. Lets hope the Proms include a good selection of FD's music in performances of comparable quality.

[Roehre]

I believe that his consistently high quality music is almost always appealing.

I do think his most popular works are always appealing. I do think too, that these works are of high quality (even if we don't know how much Fenby is in it). But I beg to differ regarding all his music being of "consistently high quality".

. Even more neglected than his orchestral works are Delius’s chamber music and songs which I find most rewarding. My particular favourites are: North Country Sketches; Florida Suite; Cello Sonata; String Quartet ‘Late swallows’; Sea Drift, Songs of Farewell; Songs of Sunset; On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring; Summer Night on the River and the opera Village Romeo and Juliet. To be honest I like almost all I have heard of Delius's music.

Wholeheartedly agree with this (though I am not an opera man).
I have heard most, and seen nearly all of his scores.
Hence my reluctance to say that his output is consistently of high quality.

[Stanley Stewart]

Last week, I transferred Ken Russell's, "Song of Summer" (1968) to DVD and, rummaging among my off-air video collection, was glad to find a recording of a 1996 Yorkshire TV documentary, "Song of Farewell - Eric Fenby at 90" (57 mins) as a suitable companion for the DVD. Dr Fenby and KR did a recce at the Delius household at Grez-sur-Loing, France for the BBC film but finally rejected it due to budgetary constraints and the modernisation of the estate, TV aerials in the village etc. However, a Surrey location was located as a rather canny suitable substitute. The 1996 feature included footage of a visit to the original location by Fenby during the early 80s and it was touching to hear his reminscences at various places in the large garden where Delius dictated musical notation to his amanuensis. Uncanny, too, to compare the man himself and note how cleverly Christopher Gable had morphed into his characterisation with such subtlety. The older man had the same sense of reserve but you saw his inner confidence in the sequences when he conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in The Walk To The Paradise Garden; young Gable developed the same characteristics as he gradually found the confidence to manage the cantankerous streak in Delius. It would have been a valuable contribution if the BBC had acquired the rights to the 1996 documentary and scheduled both productions cheek by jowl.

[gurnemanz]

The Ken Russell film reminded me how relatively little of his output I was familiar with and nudged me towards leaping in with the EMI box which arrived today. 18 well-packed CDs should keep me busy for a while. Details here:

http://www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product/Choice_Bargain%20Boxes/0841752.htm

...but I paid only £30.99 at Amazon.

[jayne lee wilson]

That EMI box does look an excellent buy (remasters too!), but funds are scarce so I'll quarry out my previous separate purchases. Special favourites are Florida Suite/North Country Sketches with Handley/Ulster Orchestra, and Hickox's gorgeous Sea Drift with Terfel/BSO. I'll have to try and tackle Hickox's Mass of Life again (deep breath...). Mackerras has a great Paris with my beloved RLPO too. Not to mention Sir Thomas! It is a rich catalogue.

Among the lesser known, I like Fenby's arrangement of Late Swallows which Barbirolli set down with the Halle.

English music does keep producing these great originals - from Holst and Delius through to Tippett, Birtwistle and Max Davies. And all of them have landscape at or near the heart of their inspiration, often in the very titles. Pastoral perhaps - but a Haunted Pastoral, as in VW's 3rd. Latterly we have David Matthews with A Vision and a Journey, and The Music of Dawn...

[Serial_Apologist]

all of them have landscape at or near the heart of their inspiration, often in the very titles. Pastoral perhaps - but a Haunted Pastoral, as in VW's 3rd. Latterly we have David Matthews with A Vision and a Journey, and The Music of Dawn...

I would add Anthony Payne to that list, jayne, as very much in the landscape-inspired traditions of British, or at any rate, English music.

[cloughie]

I would add Anthony Payne to that list, jayne, as very much in the landscape-inspired traditions of British, or at any rate, English music.

Isn't he the one who wrote a symphony based on ideas from Elgar?

[BBMmk2]

Isn't he the one who wrote a symphony based on ideas from Elgar?

Yes, cloughie, that'sthe one!

Is De3lius, like Tippett, out of fashion, or is British Music out of fashion, as far as Radio 3 is concerned?