Search - Frederick Delius, Charles Mackerras, Welsh National Opera Orchestra :: Delius: Orchestral Works

A Very Fine Collection Of Delius' Orchestral Music

J. Rich | 03/27/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sir Charles Mackerras understands Delius really well having recorded for the Classics For Pleasure (EMI) label with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and he also recorded some very early recordings of Delius on Decca, but this particular set with the Welsh National Opera Orchestra is, in my honest opinion, some of the best Delius ever recorded.



Mackerras, who is one of the finest conductors of his generation, does a fine job interpreting, navigating, and controlling this often very difficult music. There are many criticisms given to Delius' music such as meandering, not well defined, lacking rhythmic propulsion, etc. My viewpoint is 1. people who criticize someone like Delius hasn't really given him a chance and 2. doesn't really understand him to begin with. If you listen to Delius with pre-conceived notions, then you'll miss the point. You must listen with an open mind to appreciate him and his music must be listened to on its own terms.



Delius is a composer not many people discuss for some odd reason, but if you are familiar with classical music, then you're going to come to this review at some point. If you're at all curious in him, then you must realize he composed simply beautiful music. It is textural, atmospheric, lush, but under it's surface lies a whole world of exploring and provocative sensuality. When you hear a piece like "In A Summer Garden" you're first reaction may be "this is lovely, but..." You have to keep listening to fully appreciate him, though I loved his music the first time I heard it.



Mackerras does an admirable job with these pieces and obviously shows an affinity for this music. The orchestra are also top-notch. Many orchestras couldn't pull this music off and make it sound so convincing, because while it may sound simplistic, it is rich in orchestration.



If you like these performances, then I urge to continue seeking out this composer's work. Richard Hickox, Sir John Barbirolli, and Vernon Handley are also fine Delius conductors. They really get inside this music like Mackerras has done with this collection. Highly recommended for fans of Debussy and Ravel."

Bewitching music in superb performances

G.D. | Norway | 04/25/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"An extremely fine a well-played collection of many of Delius's most famous orchestral works, this double disc also complements rather nicely Decca's Barbirolli twofer. If you, like I am inclined to, require good stereo sound in Delius - thus ruling out the otherwise scintillating Beecham accounts - this is probably the issues to go for (although no one should be without the two Danacord releases with Bo Holten which includes some less familiar works). The performances are finely shaped, dynamic and animated, fresh and full of life, with beautiful string playing and (for the most part) fabulously shaped climaxes.



For example, take the enchanting introduction to the first Dance Rhapsody - perhaps one of the less immediately striking works here - where the oboe playing is utterly unmatched for magic and feeling; and the conclusion to that work is heartachingly beautifully rendered. The smaller works are also excellently performed; the Debussyesque, delicate sonorities and textures of Summer Night on the River, for instance, are truly bewitching here, with the instruction (on the final pages) "becoming softer as if dying away in the distance" being realized with a magic few or no other performances have matched. The "Daybreak" of the Florida Suite is another highlight, although the other movements tend a little towards the rough and noisy - it's partially Delius's own fault, but I'll admit that other performances have managed to make a better case for it. The North Country Sketches, with textures and patterns resembling both Debussy and Sibelius, on the other hand, are truly evocatively and imaginatively performed. In A Summer Garden really captures the impression of hazy, shimmering warmth and laziness, and the contrasts of Brigg Fair are finely brought out and the work is coherently and seamlessly realized (not always the case with performances of this one), although the climaxes are a little underwhelming.



All in all, this is an excellent collection, and the recorded sound is dynamic and warm. Very strongly recommended."