If I Could Choose Only One Work By...DELIUS

[@fredcasden]

All I can say is, Delius lovers of the world unite!!!!!!!!

[@VallaMusic]

Delius is my favorite composer. I could not torture myself to choose a single work.

[@IP-zv1ih]

Wow. I thought you had to be English to relish Delius. Another prejudice ditched…

[@VallaMusic]

@@IP-zv1ih lol - apparently not necessary to be English - but I am an extreme nature loving pagan - and for me Delius is the ultimate nature loving composer

[@IP-zv1ih]

Anna Thorvaldsdottir :)

[@LordoftheFleet]

@@VallaMusic You're so right, but it's not the case all the time; - Eventyr and Paris, for instance. Great to meet another Delius fan and another "nature loving pagan". Incidentally, Delius's grave is only about a 30-minute drive from where I live.

[@onnoalink6694]

@@IP-zv1ih I never saw Fritz Theodor Albert Delius as a British composer. Son of German immigrants, living his adult life in de US and France. Often spent seasons in Scandinavia, married to a German woman. Moreover, his music doesn't sound British, but European. But he had a firm Yorkshire accent, Elgar said.

[@DavidSmith-xd6wi]

The Mass of Life conducted by Richard Hickox, and the complete recording of Village Romeo and Juliet by Charles Mackerras are my favourites. The Song of the High Hills is beautifully haunting. Delius is worth exploring.

[@karlnehring6114]

Yes, thank you for advocating Delius, who brought great beauty into our world. His music lifts the spirit and recharges the batteries.

[@FREDGARRISON]

Never been a BIG DEALyus fan. Always liked his FLORIDA SUITE though. Some great tunes. Mackerras and Beecham have some fine recordings of it.. Have to check out these HIGH HILL SONGS. You never know, this might add another Delius work to my collection. Thanks Dave....

[@bernardhowell6325]

Great choice, Dave. I love all Delius's music, particularly Song of the High Hills and Sea Drift. There is also the Mass of Life and the final scene of A Village Romeo and Juliet. As you say, this is not music for everyone, but those who love the music of Delius, love it dearly.

[@rvic11]

I'm often amazed how Delius has been given this reputation of being a 'fringe' composer that only appeals to few. As soon as I heard his music I was absolutely struck by it, and he's one of my favourite composers. Very characteristic and colourful harmonies, fantastic orchestration and endless imagination. He's up there with my other favourites: Bach and Chopin.

[@Warp75]

Another composer I found out about through Ken Russell & I wasn’t disappointed.

[@SvetlanaVladimirova8590]

Yes, I saw that film, too. A very good film - but I think Ken Russel's "Elgar" is better. Quite superb!

[@Warp75]

@@SvetlanaVladimirova8590 I agree Kim. Thanks

[@tomkent4656]

"Song of Summer".

[@murphthesurf3409]

Delius is definitely at the top of my list of favorites

[@neilford99]

I lustened to Eventyr yesterday and enoyed it, and Pougnet's recording of the violin concerto with Beecham.

[@timyork6150]

Thanks, Dave, for speaking up on behalf of Delius. I think you capture well the essence of his music. He is probably my favourite English composer, if it is right to say that of a truly cosmopolitan son of German immigrants. His utterance is truly unique and bears unmistakable finger prints which some say is the sign of a great composer. His range was, however, more limited and his quality more uneven that those of the undisputed greats. I think that he was best on a more intimate scale and his large works like Mass of Life though containing splendours are patchy. I won't quarrel with High Hills as a choice but might have chosen Brigg Fair or one of the songs which I am discovering as I work through Bo Holten's fascinating boxes on Danacord.

[@fulltongrace7899]

Briggs Fair would be my choice. Variations on a country theme. A brilliant piece.

[@Muzakman37]

Mackerra's very fine recording of Brigg Fair was what really cracked Delius for me and opened the door to understanding the rest of Delius rather better. Sometimes that's all it takes doesn't it, one damn good recording to create that 'I've cracked it!' moment.

[@neilford99]

Happy to be labeled English Music Mafia even though i'm Scottish. I have a soft spot for the violin concerto and the double concerto. Sea Drift is probably my favorite of the choral works. I love all the well known short works. The cuckoo is very evokative 😂

[@bencobley4234]

Vaughan Williams wrote to a correspondent, "As regards Delius - I think anyone who could write the wedding scene from Romeo & Juliet (not the Paradise Garden) entitles Delius to be a great composer - for the rest he smells rather too much of the restaurant."

[@bbailey7818]

I think I know what RVW was getting at because some of Delius sounds like top shelf high end Ketelby. But it's a Michelin three star restaurant in any case. My own single work choice would be Appalachia. And Sea Drift.

[@alger3041]

​@bbailey7818 I can understand your preference for Appalachia - I found it very moving myself. My choice happens to be a purely instrumental piece, namely, A Song of Summer. (Perhaps it should have been entitled A Song of Indian Summer.) In any event, unlike so many of his other instrumental pieces of this genre, it is held together well from a structural standpoint, less apt to display any aspect of wandering aimlessly as often occurs in Delius's music. I sense a beginning, a stressful middle, and most importantly, a very fulfilling ending. The piece does not end abruptly as so many of his others do. There is a fairly strong sense of structure, or at least to the extent that is innate manner would permit. I think very highly of that piece, and was hoping that Dave would mention it as his favorite.

[@R08Tam]

Oh Ralph, how could you?

[@gavingriffiths2633]

I would've gone for Brigg Fair - a bit more structure (a good tune with variations), and a truly beautiful opening....Delius was always good at those!

[@aurelius54]

Great climax too!

[@ServirLeRoi]

It`s interesting that you chose `A Song Of The High Hills`, perhaps Delius` most eerie and haunting work. Debussy is also so vague and ethereal, yet ever-popular, that there must be some other reason why so many dislike Delius. I think it`s to do with a FEAR OF NATURE! Delius interprets the sounds of the natural world with such an uncanny intensity, that it gets right under the skin - and you either love him for it, or fear his ability to do that. I, for one, have loved listening to Delius since I was 13, and I`m now in my mid-50s. Whenever I`m out for a walk in the woods, or at the coast, I think: ah, that`s what Delius heard!

[@OuterGalaxyLounge]

We had an Anglophile DJ on the local public radio classical station for years and he always played Delius overmuch relative to his importance (probably made programming easier, since many of the works are relatively short), but I always enjoyed it. I came to Delius via Barbirolli first, then Beecham, and found that Barbirolli's more lush and laconic touch suited me more. Beecham seemed a bit more fleet, relatively. I have no preference as to works. That EMI double CD of Barbirolli doing Delius is typically the only one I need.

[@alanbrandt1958]

My ears are burning. :)

[@esomellipsrhc2183]

My favourite piece of music is "In a summer garden". Must be the version with Philadelphia and Ormandy though. "North country sketches" is also fantastic. Long live Delius!!

[@SvetlanaVladimirova8590]

Personally, I very much like "Winter Night (Sleigh Ride)". It's so cheerful and soothing. The ending is so very beautiful.

[@matthewmarshall2471]

Great recommendation. Thank you so much. I always had an ear for the Daydreamy classics "Morning" Grieg "Afternoon of a Faun" "Sicilliene" Faure. This piece is Dreamy and Dramatic. Perfect pick. Thank you

[@brianchidester3334]

My favorite by Delius is "The Florida Suite"; specifically the Third Movement. It's not a highly-regarded piece by Delians and relatively unknown by non-fans. I recognize that some of the suite lacks the sweep, the melodic surprises, and the overt counterpoint of his most beloved work, and yet the Third Movement has all of that in spades and hints at his later potential. The part about four minutes in is especislly poignant. It seems to've influenced the apex fanfare of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue"; albeit Delius isn't writing about the energy of city streets or the collective joy of a new age (The Jazz Age). He's writing about an orange grove in Jacksonville (Florida). So what was he seeing/reacting to that made his heart overflow with joy as such? Was it the sunset? Were the lakes and rivers glistening with reflective light? The dusk air filling with alternating fireflies? Was it the music filtering out of the shacks of the field workers as they went home for the night, singing, whistling, preparing dinner? Was it the potential of uncultivated land? We will never know. What is certain is that it deals not in ideologies or narratives, but rather in emotions, and this more than anything, is Delius' signature in music.

[@thomasmcgorry2176]

This series has really grown on me, one which when going back and watching again reveals hidden depths, similar to the Haydn symphony crusade. Delius is wonderful.

[@stevemcclue5759]

C'mon, it has to be La Calinda - it's so funky! But now I'm going to have to listen to A Song of the High Hills, which, I confess, I'd never heard of.

[@wrenside]

When i was young I read Lives of the Great Composers. For Delius, Schonberg wrote these words, "It is difficult to describe this music." In the book he described the varied music of dozens of composers but can't quite get a handle on Frederick Delius?! I was both intrigued and a fan before I had heard one note! He's not for everyone? C'est la guerre!

[@ericleiter6179]

It's definitely the right choice here... As soon as I saw his name, I thought you might pick the high hills, and it feels good to be right for a change! But Delius is a special case for sure, such a personal sound world, but once you enter it, you don't want to leave.

[@bannan61]

For me it has to be Brigg Fair. Played it under Tippett at the Berlin Philharmonie. Wonderful memory. The atmospheric opening and the climax never fail to give me goose bumps. After that the Irmelin prelude and the double concerto are favourites.

[@Vandalarius]

My favorite piece by him too. It has really memorable tunes, which isn't something you can say about Delius often!

[@hyweldda56]

Excellent as usual told in a very helpful and unique way. Thank you

[@mpmternst]

Wow! There are four Delius works in that Felix Slatkin box you recommended sometime back. I didn’t realize at the time that I was buying something so elusive!

[@johnwaring6443]

Selecting one work by a composer with such a distinctive creative personality as Delius had, would be difficult for me. He excelled in so many forms. Even his chamber music might be considered: I think especially of his Sonata for Cello and Piano with its exquisite inner section, filled with harmonies so typical of him.

[@LordoftheFleet]

I've been hoping that you would get around to Delius, and wondering if it was ever going to happen, and now it finally has! For me, the "one work" would have to be Appalachia. Of course, there's so much more wonderful stuff that it's almost too difficult to choose, but Appalachia contains so much atmosphere and inventiveness. There's one highly passionate, memorable moment near the end of the work where an F sharp in the vocal basses clashes with the pedal F natural in the orchestral basses. That particular bar coincides with the penultimate note of the final restatement of the opening horn theme. One thing that does annoy me is the fact that the Boosey & Hawkes score of Appalachia states that the work was "revised and edited" by Sir Thomas Beecham. Now, the work was first published in 1907 by Harmonie, and the copyright was transferred to B&H in 1939. The Harmonie, Berlin score can be downloaded from IMSLP, and it is identical to the B&H score, so how can Sir Thomas have revised and edited it, especially considering that the Harmonie score contains no such designation? This happens on virtually all of B&Hs Delius scores. Don't get me wrong. I have every respect for SirThomas, but he doesn't need this kind of misleading information.

[@jimcarlile7238]

Maybe they were referring to his performances, which I think he was known for doing in general? Appalachia's also I think Barbirolli's last recording.

[@bingbongtoysKY]

what a great series Dave! my vote for 1 work to save by Dieterich Buxtehude would be Membra Jesu Nostri! I thought it would be an organ work, but, it has to be this wonderful thing! hope all is well

[@josefkrenshaw179]

I actually have returned to that 19-disc EMI/warner Delius box more often than some better-known composers. That said, my favorite works of his are the violin sonatas. I have s a conifer disc by a young Tasmin Little which is a 'comfort" record for me. It has been reissued several times on several labels. Little seems to have pigeonholed herself in British music and her Delius recordings speak to me more than most others,

[@markmiller3713]

I think she's a rather underrated violinist.

[@stephencrabtree3161]

Whenever I’ve had a bad day I play the intermezzo and serenade from Hassan….it’s Delius at his subtle best, with an outgoing coda to die for

[@jeffwatkins352]

I could never get a handle on Sea Drift until I followed the orchestral score and could assimilate the words. It reduced me to tears, and it's now one of my favorite of his works. Though I love them all. I'm so passionate about his work that I rewrote the Koanga libretto to bring it in line with Cable's The Grandissimes, the novel from which it was originally taken.

[@rogerwebb7501]

Whatever you would choose would be ok by me! I'm a Delius nut of the first order. However my own choice for vocal works is the late collaboration with Eric Fenby who helped Delius at the end of his life to finish the works that Delius was physically unable to write down, 'Songs of Farewell' to another Whitman text (you mentioned Sea Drift, Delius did three works on Whitman, the other is 'Idyll - once I passed through a populous city') is a masterpiece through-and-through! For just the orchestral textures it is the outstanding work of this last period, so well depicted in Ken Russell's 'Song of Summer'. I spent many years going to Grez sur Loing, I don't know any composer's music more infused with the spirit of place like Delius's! I haven't been to the Hardanger Vidde which inspired your 'Song of the High Hills'....yet!

[@dsammut8831]

Had LP's first, 1987-1988, then cassettes 1989-1992, then CD land swallowed me, but not like YYYOOOUUU, Mad Dave of the genre. Whahahaha. Fell in love immediately with Delius. After immediately came RVWilliams sym 3&5. And then the 7th, reading Lovecraft's At The Mountains Of Madness, alongside! What a time of my life!

[@thomasanderson5896]

I love Delius! right now Appalachia is my favourite but it changes depending on my mood. I'm watching a lot of cowboy movies at the moment so maybe that's why I gravitate towards it.

[@johnwright7557]

Mine is Over the Hills and Far Away because of the horn part and also because it doesn’t sound as droopy as so much of his music! I find it rather exciting!

[@pierreboland8910]

According to me, "Eventyr" is Delius' most original work. Like Sibelius' "En Saga", it's a tone poem that tells nothing but images to build you own tale on it. It's furthermore very pleasant to listen to and very original.

[@chrisl337]

I would pick the second of his Five Songs from the Norwegian: The Nightingale. Simple, brief and with wonderful harmonies.

[@dennischiapello3879]

I was surprised when you mentioned Wagner in connection with Delius, but then I realized, yes, it mostly sounds like Forest Murmurs! (This isn''t meant as a slam against Delius. I can't think of anything by him I haven't enjoyed.)

[@CincyDude5]

There's a touch of Tristan in Brigg Fair, if I recall, though my memory may not be serving me right.

[@jimcarlile7238]

It's Appalachia for me. Everyone I've ever played it for loves it. Seriously, it was great for getting girls back in the 70s and 80s. But yeah, Delius is about as far out of style now as it's possible to be. I think he's probably more known for his relationship to the word "amanuensis" than anything else now. He's always the first example that comes up.

[@shimoncrown]

It is interesting that the English mafia adopted Delius. He was born in Bradford but his parents were Germans of Dutch descent and lived most of his life in France.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

They didn't really, but they had to champion Beecham and Beecham pushed Delius.

[@Muzakman37]

It was hard work getting adopted though, Beecham (his major champion) had to fight like hell to get anyone to even take Delius seriously in London and beyond, they thought of him as very un-British (which, he kinda was really, he never felt at home in the UK).

[@andrewharding4801]

Love the comments on this page. I kind of agree with everybody, but can I give a shout out for a Village Romeo and Juliet? Dave is wrong on the operas, at least this one. A masterpiece of surpassing beauty. I love every note of it if you think it's mushy, then compare with Tristan and Isolde. Love Russell's movie, too. And Song of the High Hills is actually a great choice. Sea Drift too.

[@Listenerandlearner870]

Today Mark Elder's cd of Mass of Life is released. We await your thoughts.

[@GBearcat]

What? You don't like "On Cooking the First Herring in Spring" ??

[@charlierumoldboi3939]

The Herring is one of Delius's most characteristic and endearing works. A miniature masterpiece.

[@richfarmer3478]

I've always found Delius a hard composer to enjoy. I think Appalachia might have been a good choice because it includes voices or Brigg Fair. My personal favorite is the Florida Suite precisely because it is an early work that is more accessible than the later more mature Delius.

[@Listenerandlearner870]

Groves' recording has a rugged northern quality.

[@williamwhittle216]

Delius is a favorite composer: as late friend might say "I'm a Delius freak." I would pick Tintagel; I have it on my license plate.

[@FREDGARRISON]

As far as I know it's by ARNOLD BAX.

[@johnstoddart3962]

Wrong composer, William. But I can see why you wouldn't want 'Cuckoo' as a license plate.

[@FREDGARRISON]

@@johnstoddart3962 LOVE IT !!!!

[@LordoftheFleet]

@@ecriturecinematographique2987 Most definitely!

[@williamwhittle216]

Senior moment! Sorry. I would pick Brigg Fair.

[@robhaynes4410]

Britain has produced more composers that I love than any other country. I've tried & tried & tried, but just cannot get myself to care about Delius (or Havergal Brian). Oh, well. Plenty others to love. I'd enjoy hearing your pick for Finzi.

[@jonbaum]

I saw his opera A Village Romeo and Juliet a few years ago in Wexford. It was a beautiful production but I have to say i found most of it pretty boring.