Delius Fans Speak!

Click here to see the survey questions and to answer them yourself.

Bill Thompson      Jeff Gower       NISHIHARA Satoshi     Rob Barnett 

Steven Rauket      Tore Frantzvåg Steenslid    Graeme Fyfe    Nick Orta 

Michael Wittenburg     Harry Froehlich       Alan Brandt       Mel Groper

Alan Hemenway   Richard A. Crosby     Alex Ullrich    Olve Tobiassen

Frank Andrus    David Grundy     Yu Nakajima     Franz Goedecke

Bill Snyder     Chihiro Ichikawa     Ken Duggan       Jean Gibson     Steve Brown

Tony Watts      Mark Parry       David Bugbee       TJ Pridonoff      Joe Shapiro      David Grundy

a) Bill Thompson

b) 

c) http://thompsonian.info/delius.html

d) Conroe, Texas USA

e) 55 (as of 2008)

f) Accountant

g) I'm a fan of many kinds of music, including rock, pop, classical, gospel, folk, country, and jazz (see my Web Page for a detail list of my musical favorites). I dislike the practice of categorizing music because I think it limits the listener's opportunity to have new musical experiences. I play piano and bass guitar, and I enjoy writing songs and instrumental compositions as a hobby. I also record MIDI music files, and am continuing to learn about computerized music.

1) The first Delius work I ever heard was "Summer Evening". It was the first track on a sampler album called "The Inimitable Sir Thomas (Beecham)" on Seraphim. I was a teenager, and was in the process of trying to hear works by great composers I was not familiar with. Through the music of  "Summer Evening", Delius transported me to the verandah in Solano Grove to watch the sun setting over the St. Johns River, and I was mesmerized. The next work on the album was the "Prelude to Irmelin", which had a similarly magical effect. I was hooked!

2) I found other Delius LP's conducted by Beecham, and also read Beecham's biography of Delius. I visited Jacksonville and Solano Grove in 1972. I joined the Delius Association of Florida, later becoming a Life Member. I'm also a Life Member of the Delius Society of Philadelphia. Over the years, I have collected a large number of Delius recordings, many of which I donated to the Music Collection at Texas A&M University.

3) My favorite works by Delius: "KOANGA", "Sea Drift", "Appalachia", "Florida Suite", and his early compositions. I obviously favor his "American" works, but have never heard any Delius I didn't like! My favorite recordings are those conducted by Fenby, Beecham, Barbirolli and Groves - I am not as familiar with the recordings done during the 1990's. Another of my favorites is the Dutton Labs CD conducted by Geoffrey Toye from the 1920's. It is amazing to realize that Delius himself heard these recordings, and the sound has been digitally restored and remastered beautifully.

4) I hope that someday "Hiawatha" will be restored, recorded by an orchestra, and released on CD. I would also love to hear a restored version of the early String Quartet from the 1880's. Other early works should be considered for recording, such as the "Petite Suite for Orchestra" - maybe David Lloyd-Jones will do some more World Premieres for us! I would also love to see "KOANGA" produced for VIDEO release - I believe it would prove to be popular.

5) Prior to March 1998, the only Delius I had heard live was "The Walk to the Paradise Garden." At the 1998 Delius Festival in Jacksonville, I was privileged to hear excellent performances of several Delius choral works, including selections from "Songs of Sunset", "Songs of Farewell", "Hassan", and "Koanga." This delightful concert by The Solano Singers conducted by Brenda McNieland was a musical highlight of my life thus far, and one I had waited many years for!  In 2003 I heard a magnificent performance of "Sea Drift" in Houston, Texas.    Then in 2004 I returned to Jacksonville - The Delius Festival that year included several orchestral performances by the JSO conducted by David Lloyd-Jones, as well as choral and chamber works.   In 2007, "Sleigh Ride" was performed by the Conroe Symphony Orchestra at my request.  I am hoping to hear much more Delius in the future!

6) My other favorite composers are Grainger, Warlock, Joplin, Korngold, Tchaikovsky, Liadov, Borodin and Gottschalk. I am continuing to discover other composers, including Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. I prefer the romantic and impressionist periods, but also enjoy earlier composers such as Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms.

7) In my opinion, Delius is the most successful composer of all in communicating emotionally with his listeners. His works transcend categories and are timeless. I echo the sentiments of Eric Fenby, who felt that Delius was limited only by his hatred of Christianity - if Delius had been a Christian, what even more glorious music he could have created! But I choose to accept and enjoy his beautiful gifts to the world of music on their own terms.

Jeff Gower

NISHIHARA Satoshi

a) NISHIHARA Satoshi ("NISHIHARA" is my family name)

b) 

c)  http://www.zephyr.dti.ne.jp/~nishis/delius/

d) Fuchu-Akigun, Hiroshima, Japan

e) as you like it

f) Computer Engineer

g) I'd played electric guitar and soprano, alto saxophone till days of Hiroshima University, in a progressive rock group, some pop rock bands, jazz group and wind orchestras. My favorites are old detective stories: John Dickson Carr, Japanese detective story, and any other book reading (various categories), Smalltalk, SuperCard, Macintosh, etc.

1) first Delius work ever heard, and reaction? - Sir Thomas' "Florida Suite" on NHK-FM radio station, about 1978. It was breathless. The day after I bought Sir John's Delius Album on Toshiba-EMI.

2) how did I further develop interest in Delius' music? - Collecting disks and books mentioned about Delius (but got a few). Translated Fenby's other Delius book to Japanese (of "The Great Composers" from Faber & Faber.) which was not printed. Joined The Delius Society.

3) which are my favorite Delius works? - Especially his vocal music I like. John Shirley-Quirk's "Cynara" and "Idyll" are the milestones, I think.

4) which works are on wish-list (either not heard or want new recordings of) - All of his songs, early works. The Complete Collection of his Music.

5) Delius works heard performed live? - None. And I'm very sorry for missing that Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra's performing of Delius' Orchestra pieces. About 1980, Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos had conducted "Paradise Garden" on Philharmonia Orchestra at Tokyo in Japan. I'd heard it on FM radio, it was a very great river music.

6) other composers/types of music that I like - Various kinds of music or musician, especially Gong, Magma, Area, Canterbury Tree, Dagmar Krause, YOSHIDA Minako, Tipographica, Spank Happy, Borodin, Bartok, Prokofiev, Warlock, RVW, Elgar, Lucia Popp, UCHIHASHI Kazuhisa, Otomo Yoshihide, etc, etc.

7) Any other comments on the music of Delius - Some people say that "Delius is a forgotten composer", and record companies in Japan have been ignoring Delius music. Ok. To paraphrase King Crimson, "Deliusless and Bible Black" - if there is no Delius music, the world is sunk in darkness.

Rob Barnett

a) ROB BARNETT

b)

c) N/a

d) Western Isles, Scotland, UK

e) 44 (as of 1997)

f) Unemployed

g) Editor of British Music Society newsletter

1) I think it was Walk to the Paradise Garden (but can’t be sure) - not all that impressed on first hearing - too static.

2) Through a friend who played me the CBS mid price LP of Appalachia and (I think) Eventyr - both Beecham. I liked Appalachia and was especially struck by the banjo evocation which appears so vividly about five minutes into the piece.

Later I was completely won over by hearing Delius’ music in context with a BBC broadcast of James Elroy Flecker’s ‘Hassan’ circa 1971/2 - a wonderful experience. We (my friend and I) played and played that tape. The combination of music, words and radio was very powerful. I liked the savagery of Eventyr and still do and also North Country Sketches.
After this while a student in Bristol I heard on LP the Groves recording of A Mass of Life and was struck by the life-enhancing massive choral/orchestral climaxes in the first movement. I am glad I managed to find the Norman del Mar Intaglio CD while it was still available.
Later I came to enjoy the Violin Concerto - the Sammons performance is wonderful - not captivated by the Pougnet. Ida Haendel’s Proms performance with Rozhdestvensky should really be issued on CD. The most impressive Delius for me is the Song of the High Hills. I came to know this through the Beecham recording but also love the Rozhdestvensky which I enjoyed on tape for years before the BBC CD was issued.

3) Favorite works:

• Song of the High Hills
• Violin Concerto
• Cello Sonata
• Eventyr
• Sleigh Ride
• Mass of Life

4) I would like to have a CD (well 2 really) of the BBC Hassan broadcast complete with the play and with the additional music also broadcast at the same time. Does anyone have a really good stereo tape of this? I wish the BBC would release tapes of Ida Haendel in the Violin Concerto.

5) What are some Delius works you have heard performed live? None that I can recall.

6) What other composers and/or types of music do you like?

• Tchaikovsky Sym 4 Francesca
• Moeran Symphony
• Roy Harris Sym 7
• William Schuman Sym 3 Violin Cto
• Arnold Bax Symphonies 2 5 6 Winter Legends
• Allan Pettersson Syms 6 7 8
• Hanson Syms 1-6 + Beowulf
• Atterburg Nystroem (Sinfonia Del Mare)

7) Any other comments on the music of Delius? Sometimes far too static but as you can see some of his works I prize very highly.

Steven Rauket

a) Steven A. Rauket

b) 

c) n/a

d) Kincardine, Ontario, Canada

e) 49 (as of 1997)

f) nuclear operator

g) I have worked in the music business as a composer, pianist, organist, arranger, journalist and teacher. As a performer I was Canadian representative at the International Electone (organ) Festival in Japan, 1981. As a serious composer I have written a piano concerto, string quartet, and a theme and variations for orchestra on an English folk song (inspired by Delius’ Brigg Fair), among other things.

1) I believe this was On hearing the first cuckoo in Spring. What struck me about this was Delius’ unique sense of form and his very personal harmonic idiom.

2) I think the best of Delius is the smaller scale works for orchestra such as Brigg Fair, In a Summer Garden, The Walk to the Paradise Garden, etc. The larger choral works, the piano concerto, and the operas are, to my ears, musically uneven as to musical substance, although they exhibit the same wonderful handling of the orchestra (especially the woodwinds). An underrated piece is the violin concerto, which has many beautiful passages before becoming a bit long-winded near the end. The early March Caprice and Sleigh Ride are charming fin-de-siecle pieces.

3) Austin, in his excellent section on Delius from his book on 20th century music, remarks that Delius is one composer who really needs sympathetic interpreters. For me these are Beecham and Barbirolli. I have an old EMI LP of stereo recordings by Beecham, recorded in the fifties- these are idiosyncratic but fine versions of the pieces, although a couple are marred by truly horrendous splices. EMI has reissued Barbirolli’s recordings from the 60’s on CD, and this set is, I think, the definitive introduction to Delius’ music. Of newer offerings there is a CD by the BBC Symphony under Andrew Davis that is quite good, although 23 minutes are devoted to Paris, The Song of a Great City, which to my ears, is musically banal (the orchestration is luxuriant in the style of RichardStrauss, whose scores Delius must have studied).

4) I would like to hear more of the chamber music, especially the 2 string quartets. I have not heard any of the songs for voice and piano, of which I believe Delius wrote a fair number.

5) n/a

6) I like anything that’s good. Bad music gives me a headache.

7) One listens in vain to Delius for the immense profundities and miracles of emotional expression contained in works like the late Beethoven quartets, the great C major synphony of Schubert, or the Symphony K.550 of Mozart (my favourite music-B.H. Haggin called this symphony "one of the supreme wonders achieved by human powers"). I think the best summation of Delius’ achievement is the quote that Edvard Grieg made about his own work: " Artists like Bach and Beethoven erected churches and temples on the heights. I wanted , as Ibsen says in one of his last dramas, to build dwellings for men in which they might feel at home and happy".

Tore Frantzvåg Steenslid

a) Tore Frantzvåg Steenslid

b)

c) http://www.steenslid.com

My Delius page is located at http://www.steenslid.com/music/delius/index.htm

d) I am currently living in Volda, Norway.

e) 24 (as of 1997)

f) Student

g)

1) I honestly don't know which Delius work I heard first. The first work I remember the title of is his Cuckoo. It took some time before I got very involved with his music, so I can't have reacted very much after my first work.

2) It's only the last few years that I have had such an interest in his music. I have a general interest in British music, so it was naturally for me to take an interest in Delius. I started with the most famous works (Paradise garden, Cuckoo etc) which I liked very much. Another reason for my interest in him is the Norwegian connection. He wrote music that was very influenced by my country. His Eventyr and Norwegian suite are among the Delius works that mean most to me.

Eventyr, Norwegian suite, The Walk to the paradise garden, Florida suite, Paris

What are your favorite Delius recordings?

That's an easy question: The 7CD collection on Unicorn-Kanchana and the 2CD collection on EMI by Barbirolli.

Favorite interpreters of Delius' music?

Fenby, Barbirolli, Hickox.

4) I would like to hear Koanga. I would also like to get a CD recording of Irmelin.

5) I have never heard any of his music performed live.

6) Some other favourites are Tippett, Britten, Harty, Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Maxwell Davies, Purcell, Beethoven and many more.

Graeme Fyfe

a) Graeme Fyfe

b) 

c) http://www.bassclef.freeserve.co.uk

d) Scotland

e) 34 (as of 1997)

f) Teacher

g) I play the bass guitar well, and potter about on guitar. I have just taken up the oboe.

1) Songs of Farewell back in 1985. I thought it was fantastic.

2) In those days I was unemployed and listened to BBC Radio 3 a lot. I avidly bought the "Radio Times" each week (it gave precise details in these days, not like now!) to see what was on, and soon filled some 50 cassettes with music.

3) My top five are probably, in order, Songs of Farewell A Mass of Life Intermezzo from Fennimore And Gerda To be Sung of a Summer Night on the Water Air and Dance

4) Due to poor recording quality, I taped over several short pieces which I've not heard since - Zum Carnival, Paa Viderne and Dance for Harpsichord spring to mind. One piece I've never heard is Summer Evening. Otherwise I've got most of his works somewhere.

5) I don't go to many concerts, but I've seen performances of A Mass of Life and the Concerto for Violin and Cello at the BBC Proms.

6) I'm afraid Delius is only perhaps my fouth favourite composer! I rate Vaughan Williams, Debussy and Holst all much more highly. I was brought up on rock music and have wide tastes from The Marine Girls to Motorhead (no, I'm not joking), Buzzcocks to Kate Bush. I greatly enjoy the jazz fusion music of John McLaughlin / Mahavishnu Orchestra.

7) I heard they were playing Delius over the tannoy system on the railway stations in some city in the North-East of England with the aim of deterring vandals. I think they were supposed to hate it so much they'd go away and not return!

Nick Orta

a) Nick Orta

b)

c) N/A

d) Miami, Florida

e) 34 (as of 1997)

f) Musician

g) no

1) On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring was the first work I heard. I was blown away by Delius' style. His sense of harmony was unlike anything I had heard up to that time.

2) Since I was so blown away, I decided I had to get my hands on any of his recorded works. I've rarely been disappointed by his music.

3) It's hard to rank them, but I'll give it a shot: Song of the High Hills, Sea Drift, Brigg Fair, A Mass of Life, A Village Romeo & Juliet, Intermezzo from "Fennimore & Gerda", Appalachia, On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, Cello Concerto, 2 Aquarelles, Fennimore & Gerda, The wordless chorus from "Hassan", Walk to the Paradise Garden, Requiem, In A Summer Garden, A Song of Summer, I-Brasil, Violin Concerto, Idyll, Florida Suite, An Arabesque, Double Concerto, String Quartet, The Magic Fountain, Eventyr, Koanga, A Song of Summer, North Country Sketches, Piano Concerto, Songs (prefer the orchestral songs), part-songs, Air and Dance, Irmelin, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch. My favorite recordings are A Mass of Life (Hickox), Song of the High Hills (Fenby), Appalachia (Hickox), the recent Fennimore and Gerda (Hickox). I guess Hickox is my favorite interpreter. Then Fenby, and Serbrier's recent performance of the orchestral songs was great.

4) Would love to have Koanga recorded. Also would like to hear new recordings of Hassan,The Magic Fountain, AVillage Romeo and Juliet, The String Quartet, Appalachia and Sea Drift.

5) I've heard live performances of: Cuckoo, Intermezzo from Fennimore and Gerda, Walk to the Paradise Garden; La Calinda.

6) Some of my other favorite composers are Prokofiev, Korngold, Bax, Finzi, Warlock,Respighi, Ravel, Handel, Bach, Purcell, to name a few.

7) No matter how many other composers I've come across, Delius' music still touches me the most.

Michael Wittenburg

a) Michael Wittenburg

b) 

c) no personal page as yet

d) Rochester, NY; recently graduated from Master's program at the Eastman School of Music

e) 24 (as of 1997)

f) Music Director of a small Presbyterian church.

g) I hope to one day be a renowned concert pianist and/or orchestral conductor.

1) I read a review of Richard Hickox (sp.?) and the Bournemouth S.O.'s 'Walk to the Paradise Garden' CD in the BBC Music Magazine. The description of the music sounded like something I would really enjoy, the writing was that evocative. This led me to go to the local record store which allows one to listen to recordings before purchasing, and I picked up the double disc set of Sir John Barbarolli and the Halle Orchestra performing about two and a half hours of music (since the Hickox recording wasn't even in stock). The first work on the recording was Brigg Fair, and I don't remember the last time I was so completely blown away. I get tingles still just thinking of how I became so completely immersed in the music at the strike of the chime at the beginning of variation 8 or 9, the one that starts off with pizzicato celli and then has the violins enter with the melody in tight high harmonies with the seconds and violas. And then that glorious following variation which uses all six horns in what I have since read Fenby describe as 'the greatest climax in tonal music.' I have since gotten to conduct the piece in front of a reading orchestra, and I can tell you the feeling was absolutely incredible. I anxiously await the day I can conduct the piece in concert.

2) The Barbarolli recording with the Halle Orchestra is probably unsurpassable. It also includes some fine take from the rehearsals leading up to recording, and is very eerie to hear the voice of a man who would be dead less than a month afterwards.

3) Brigg Fair will always be my favorite because it was the first piece I ever heard of Delius'. Second would be the Walk to the Paradise Garden. Third would be his song for tenor that he wrote before going blind, "A Late Lark." Absolutely stunning emotionally, it is. Fourth for me is the Double Concerto. It's really hard for me to place it this low, as it makes me very emotional every time I hear it. Fifth is the Piano Concerto, a piece I intend to use as a vehicle. Sixth is Sea Drift, which I place only slightly above Appalacia, both splendid works for orchestra/chorus. The cello concerto is a very strong work, only the violin concerto do I think I need to listen more to, to really appreciate it. Paris is very exciting, and the list goes on and on. I really have only scratched the surface of his output, but considering I only discovered him about 4 years ago, I have made up for lost time, I think.

Barbarolli really makes Delius live, but of course, one can't forget Beecham's championing of him. The only recording of his I don't like is of the Piano Concerto with Mrs. Beecham as soloist. The orchestra sounds woefully underrehearsed, and Mrs. Beecham is continually drowned out.

4) I have an LP of the three violin sonatas performed by a former violin teacher of mine, Derry Deane. I am ashamed that I have never even broken the plastic on it, because I received it as a gift from her when I was about 15 or 16, and I decided that all 20th century music was bad (I wasn't thinking about Rachmaninoff at the time, mind you, and I'd never heard Daphnis and Chloe, Firebird, etc., etc.) I heard one of the sonatas on the radio the other day, published posthumously, and I knew when I heard it that I loved it. I was so pleased to learn it was Delius when it finished. I want to really learn these pieces, and the violin concerto, and I would love to hear a complete opera such as Village Romeo and Julliet.

5) Sadly I have never heard any of his works performed live. He's just not programmed in the U. S.

6) Delius is kind of the 'poster child' of the composers I really love. I really like to listen to music that is neglected or quickly written off by the public with silly words by critics such as "erratic" "overromantic" "incoherent". Usually the critics decide that since they don't understand, then no one will understand. I feel the same about Arnold Bax, Franz Liszt, Edward MacDowell, the Symphonies of Schumann (I think it should be a crime to not love them), etc. Basically, I really enjoy 'heart on their sleeve' composers, although I must say Wagner is my exception. I grow tired of him rather fast...maybe because of the daunting size of his works.

7) I am so glad to see more and more web sites concerning Delius. Two years ago, I don't think there were any, and I did try to find them. I think it's a shame that he has been neglected so long, but thanks to the work of his widow, Jelka, the seeds HAVE been sown so that we may enjoy his works for a long time to come. Keep up the good work!

Harry Froehlich

a) Dr. Harry Froehlich

b) 

c) None

d) Augsburg, Germany

e) 40 (as of 1998)

f) Literary scholar, edition of the works of Eichendorff

g) anglophil, but pardon my bad English

1)  The first work I heard was "A village Romeo & Juliet" from the EMI/WorldRecords 6 LP album "The Music of Delius - Vol. 2: The Post-war Years" (Beecham/RPO). I had read in a book ("Abend mit Goldrand", english version: "Evening edged in Gold") by one of my famous German authors, Arno Schmidt (1914-1979), a complaint that there's so little Delius in the radio. I went to a small but delicate recordshop and bought the 'yellow album'. This happenend 1985. It was love at first hearing, but it has grown even more over the years.

2) Of course, I became a fan - and since then I have collected nearly every record or CD (esp. the earlier years, because I think that mono-sound fits well to Delius' nostalgia).

3) The music of my life is "Appalachia" - for me the greatest music I have ever heard; I also love "Seadrift", "Songs of Sunset", "Songs of Farewell", the violin concerto, "Koanga", "The Magic Fountain" and all of the shorter works, esp. "In a Summer Garden". Delius was never a disappointment to me. - Sir Thomas Beecham is best, I think. Although he often has fast speeds he is most intensive (and he has the loveliest voices in the vocal works). But not to forget Sir John Barbirolli. The double CD-Set by EMI contains heartbreaking interpretations. One of the most beautiful and most melancholic albums ever made I think is "The Fenby Legacy". Not at least because of the RPO, my favourite orchestra and the one with the most perfect Delius sound (also excellent: Hallé). I like Groves, too, and Handley, less Hickox and Mackerras.

4) My wish list: A new recording of "Koanga" (I only possess a bootleg of a Charles Groves recording from 1972). Shall we ever hear "Hiawatha"? A CD-set of all of his songs (with carefully chosen voices please, I'm not satisfied with most of the newer interpretations) is needed, also recordings of his string quartet and chamber music. Mr. Lloyd-Jones should do another Naxos-CD of the marvellous early works.

5) I saw "Fennimore & Gerda" in Bielefeld (Germany). A magnificent production by John Dew. Sadly, Germany is still rather ignorant of Delian music. We have Wagner and therefore we are content!

6) I love the music of Harty, Vaughan Williams, Elgar, Finzi, Holst and Bantock, also Barber and Copland. Not to forget: Bob Dylan and Van Morrison!

7) There's no other composer like Delius. With him alone I can get through this life, because he never grew bitter (in his works), although he tells us of separations, partings and death. He gives me quietness, outside and inside.

Alan Brandt

a) Alan Brandt

b)

c) no web page

d) Illinois, now in Louisville for the last 9 years.

e) 33 (as of 1998)

f) Producer/Classical for WUOL Public Radio

g) I'm also a bass soloist at a Louisville church.

1) First Delius I heard - I was a student announcer at WGLT at Illinois State University and did two jazz shows and two classical shows a week. I originally intended to be a jazz announcer, but started to get hooked on the selections the music director programmed for my classical shift. One that really caught my ear was Beecham's recording of Paris: the Song of a Great City. I was captivated by the work's tonal storytelling. I eventually was hooked on classical and became a classical announcer in no small part due to our dear old Fritz.

2) Further development of interest - About the same time I heard my first Delius I became a huge Kate Bush fan and started buying her older records, one of which includes a song about Delius (the song is based on Fenby's reminiscenses, if I remember correctly). I thought if Kate loved Delius I've got to check out more of his stuff out!

3) Favorite Delius works - Paradise Garden is #1 without a doubt. Our afternoon announcer played it one time while I was driving and I just started to cry because of its great beauty, even though I'd heard it a hundred times before - Delius still gets me right there, you know? I love the Irmelin Prelude and F&G Intermezzo almost equally with The 1st Cuckoo. Florida Suite follows closely (By the River is my favorite movement). I'd also rank Young Venevil, I-Brazil, Twilight Fancies and The Splendour Falls on Castles Walls up there, too. I love the violin and piano concerti greatly (Tasmin Little is wonderful!). Songs of Farewell and Songs of Sunset-gorgeous! There's really too much to mention here. Sorry! Beecham does a superb job, I like Wm. Boughton's Florida Suite recording on Nimbus. Barbirolli is great too.

4) Wish List - New recordings of the operas (although I finally got all of them on CD!) New version of Koanga. I want M. Davies F&G on CD; I only have the lps. Anything that hasn't yet made it to CD yet. I would also like more vocalists to record the songs. I wish Schwartzkopf had recorded them - oh well! I like soprano and baritone versions better than tenors. I want a better CD version of the Dance for Harpsichord than the Kirkpatrick one. Igor Kipnis recorded it once, but I can't find it on CD. I liked his version better than Ralph K.

5) Louisville has had only a couple live performances of Delius in the past 9 years, and I've heard both on tape while preparing them for broadcast; Paradise Garden and the Violin Sonata # 2.

6) Other composers I like: Delius speaks to my heart, Mozart speaks to my head. Beethoven, Schubert Haydn all close together (I'm getting to know Beethoven's piano sonatas really well now). Chopin, Gottchalk, Vaughan Williams, Rossini operas and Handel oratorios, etc,etc,etc.

7) Additional Delius comments: In all my fifteen years as a classical announcer and producer I have yet to find another musical voice that speaks Delius' language. As each year comes and goes I become increasingly amazed how unique his music is. There was no Delius school of music; even Warlock's Serenade is a superficial copy of the Delian "sound". How special that is! It's sad that he is not as popular as I think he should be (his music should overshadow Brahms', that's for sure!), but in reverse I feel like I'm a part of a "small" group of friends that know a beautiful, secret truth. It's ours to enjoy forever and if other people want to join in, fine. But they have to understand it first. Because of my position, I've been able to program Delius at least once every other day, on the average. Many people have called me after I played a Delius piece wanting to know how to get a copy. In the past 3 weeks alone I've played "In a Summer Garden" the piano concerto, "Song Before Sunrise", Cynara (I LOVE that one!), the Irmelin Prelude, the violin concerto, the Legende and today I played David Matthew's Romeo and Juliet Suite. The midday announcer played the Norwegian Suite last week. So, we're doing our part to spread the word in the Kentucky/So.Indiana area! If you're in the Greater Louisville area, tune in 90.5 FM. I'm on 6AM-11AM and 9PM-11PM weekdays. Thank you for your interest.

Mel Groper

a) Mel Groper

b) 

c) N/A

d) Kanata,Ontario,Canada

e) some days young,some days old

f) comptroller for a company that specializes in the health care industry

g) I have an eclectic taste in music--classics,jazz,folk,big band

1) The first Delius work was SEADRIFT, but it was the story of Delius' life that fascinated me. Lister Sinclair of The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation gave a 10 minute synopsis of Delius' life. It so interested me that I called him at the radio station and we had a 15 minute talk about Delius and he gave me the name of Fenby's book. I then went to a local record shop and bought my first Delius record, FLORIDA SUITE and to a book shop to purchase Fenby's book.

2) I am not a musician but I know what makes me feel good--so I searched for more recordings(which were not easy to find) but over a period of 15 years acquired a goodly number of Delius' compositions and I kept listening to them--just wonderful.

3) Favorites----SEA DRIFT / FLORIDA SUITE / VIOLIN CONCERTO

4) I would like to hear some the contemporary conductors record Delius' works.

5) none

6) Vaughan Williams/Percy Granger /Bach/Beethoven and any music that does'nt cause my teeth to ache.

7) A pleasure to listen to his music--it gives me a good feeling.

John O'Neill

a) John O'Neill

b)

c) N/A

d) Lakeridge, VA (via Richmond, VA, via Tampa, FL, via Garden City, NY, via Dublin, Ireland. . .I was born there).

e) 37 (as of 1999)

f) Accountant

g)

1) Stumbled upon Delius quite by accident after picking up an IMP label CD of Sir Charles Groves conducting the English Sinfonia in a program of miniatures (Elgar, Ravel, Faure, Satie). Picked the disk up mostly for Faure's "Masques et Bergamasques" and Warlock's "Capriol Suite" but was immediately enchanted by the one Delius piece which found it's way onto the disc. . ."On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring". It was so different from anything I'd heard before. I found it rather fluid and unstructured, like much of the Debussy orchestral pieces which I enjoy so much. But this music had a whole different sense of melody and harmony to it. Very "melancholy".

2) This one piece was enough to prompt me to seek out more material. He is very poorly represented in the local shops. Luckily the first disc I picked up of his music quickly became a favorite in my collection. . . "Delius Miniatures" on EMI with Richard Hickox conducting the Northern Sinfonia. This disc is a delight and just provided more of that wonderful sound I had heard on the Groves disc. Especially enjoyed the performances of Sleigh Ride (what a charming piece), La Calinda, the Prelude from Irmelin, and Summer Night on the River. Of course this disc just prompted me to seek out more. . .

3) Wouldn't attempt to rank them. Love all the miniatures but I would have to say my favorite is the Florida Suite. I have two recordings of this: the Nimbus with William Boughton (talk about lush) and the new Naxos disc featuring David Lloyd-Jones conducting the English Northern Philharmonia. Picked this one for $5.99 just to have the premiere recordings of the Idylle Printemps, and the Scherzo from the Suite de Orchestra. The Florida Suite receives another wonderful performance, if not as lush as the Boughton. As for favorite interpreters. . .well the Beecham 2 disc set on EMI is wonderful and I have to give those top ranks. But I also love the Hickox (I have also added his Chandos disc featuring The Walk to the Paradise Garden, the two Dance Rhapsodies, In a Summer Garden, and the brilliant North Country Sketches). I've only had one disappointment in the Delius material I have picked up so far. . .London has a two disc set with Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of Saint Martin-in-the-Fields performing the works of Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Warlock, Butterworth, and Delius. While most of the material is wonderful the Delius is often taken a bit too quickly for my taste. For example his Walk to the Paradise Garden comes in a full minute and a half shorter than the Hickox, and the Summer Night on the River a full minute shorter than Hickox's (that's a big difference when you're talking a "miniature" to begin with.)

4) I've yet to find a recording of the Norwegian Suite. Any recommendations? Are there currently any in print? Also I've been negligent in exploring the concertos, chamber, and choral works.

5) None, unfortunately. . .

6) I like most classical music. . . some favorites. . . Faure, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Copland, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Saint-Saens, too many to list really. . .

7) Nothing more really. . .just wish his recordings were easier to find and his works were performed live more often.

Bob Jakes

a) Bob Jakes

b)

c) none

d) Troy, MI (via Canada, Thailand, Texas, Illinois & Kentucky)

e) 52 (as of 1999)

f) Computer Consultant

1) Probably, "On Hearing The First Cuckoo in Spring". I don't remember my reaction (this was the mid '60s), but it started my interest in his music.

2) By visiting the local library & borrowing the record they had (being Florida Suite / Over The Hills & Far Away - Beecham conducting), and buying any record I could at the local (store (plus some in other cities)

3) There are so many - however, I'd rank them as follows

- Brigg Fair (best recording - Beecham's, of course)
- Dance Rhapsody # 2 (same as above)
- Song of the High Hills (the one with Eric Fenby conducting)
- Paris (Beecham again)
- Koanga (the entire opera)
>From this, you can assume my favorite interpreter of Delius' music is Sir Thomas Beecham!

4) My wish list is for a reissuing of every Beecham recording on CD, plus Koanga. I need to replace my LP collection. I cannot think of any work I do not have in my collection, except for A Poem of Life and Love

5) I've only "heard" Brigg Fair live (in fact, I played clarinet in an orchestra in Edmonton, AB that performed it)

6) French impressionists (Debussy, Ravel), plus a lot of Russian composers (i.e. Rachmaninov, Rimsky Korsakov, Gliere) & other French composers such as Cesar Franc & Chausson.

7) I wish it was performed more over here in the US - after all, he did spend his early life here which produced at least one of my favorites (being Koanga).

Bruno Peeters
 

a) bruno peeters
b)
c)
d) brussels, belgium
e) 46 (as of 1999)
f) notary clerk
g) also critic in the music magazine "crescendo"; SF fan too

1) walk to the paradise garden. marvellous poetic

2) buying his music on LP then on CD; visit grez-sur-loing; member of the British Music Society

3) violin concerto, irmelin prelude, in a summer garden, on hearing the fist cuckoo in spring, the song of the high hills, a song of summer, a village romeo and juliet, dance rhapsodies, hassan, brigg fair, florida suite, sea drift, fenimore and gerda, the magic fountain, eventyr , songs of farewell, idyll, cynara, a late lark, string quartet...

4) irmelin, complete. the violin sonatas. koanga.

5)

6) british : RVW, Holst, Bax, Ireland, Finzi, Bliss, Elgar, Tippett
french : berlioz, the franckists, massenet, saint-saëns, meyerbeer, les six, roussel, schmitt, messiaen
russians : glinka, the five, prokofiev, chostakovitch, khatchaturian, glière
opera : gluck, mozart, spontini, verdi, puccini, strauss
pop : moody blues, wakeman, renaissance, alan parsons project, procol harum, barclay james harvest, beatles

7) the greatest poetic british composer. The musician of Summer, Sun, and Nature glory.

Charles Boegli

a) Charles Paul Boegli

b)

c) (No web page)

d) Blanchester, Ohio, near Cincinnati

e) 78 (as of 1999)

f) Retired engineer

g) An engineer all my life with strong musical avocation (I play the piano).

1) I found the piano score of Sea Drift in the Cincinnati Library around 1935 and spent a long time studying and playing it. The first recorded work I ever heard was "In a Summer Garden" on 78s in the late 1930s. It hypnotized me.

2) Acquired all the Delius Society 78s performed by Beecham, on both Columbia and RCA labels.

3) A Mass of Life, Appalachia, Sea Drift, and Song of the High Hills (esp. the fanciful section in the middle) are at the top of the list. Requiem, An Arabesque, the Piano Concerto are at the bottom. I consider Barbirolli a better interpreter than Beecham.

4) There are few of his works I haven't heard, most of them obscure or abandoned. The early version of Appalachia (surtitled "An American Rhapsody") has been recorded, contrary to popular opinion, and I have a copy.

5) I never heard a live performance. Delius music is exceptionally hard to conduct and perform. An attempt to perform parts of A Mass of Life at the Cincinnati May Festival some years ago was a debacle.

6) I enjoy serious modern (i.e. written since 1900) music with emotional content -- which leaves a number of composers (like John Cage) out of the picture. I am >intellectually< interested in avant-garde music. I consider John Adams's Harmonielehre the most important work this country has produced in the past half century. I regret that Josef Marx has become so obscure, and would gladly furnish copies of his Six Piano Pieces to any virtuoso who wants to tackle them and send me a recording. Other favorites are A. Schoenberg (pre-atonal period), Gustav Mahler, and Alexander Scriabine. I enjoy Karol Szymanowski's Song of the Night but not his other works I've heard.

7) Delius stands as a monument to individuality, just like Alexander Scriabine. No one wrote music like that before or since, although Philip Heseltine out-Deliused Delius in his birthday tribute, and Hadley attempted to incorporate some elements of Delius's idiom into his works. It's very unfortunate that Delius's strong Germanic background, his atheism, the Wagnerian tendencies obvious in his operas, and stubborn individuality have made him less than popular in England. Of course the moralists sneer over his disablement by syphilis. But the fact that he continued composing when blind and paralyzed earns him every bit as much respect as is given to Beethoven for composing after he was deaf.

Alan Hemenway

a) Alan Hemenway

b)
c) http://TextOnLine.net/church
d) Portland, Oregon, USA (probably will return to Riverside, California)
e) 56, as of 1999.
f) Real Estate Appraiser turned Gov't apartment housing program specialist.
g)
1) I heard "Over the Hills..." on the radio when I was 17. It mirrored my sentiments.

2) I started checking my monthly radio program guide for Delius and began tape recording his music. The exposure was mostly the typical fare which I grew to love as it spoke to my heart as no other composer could. Delius soon became my favorite composer. I ushered at the Philharmonic Auditorium in Los Angeles and, lo and behold!, Delius was the favorite of another usher. We got a birthday cake for the Delius Centennial that was decorated "Happy Birthday, Delius 1864-1964". I also got KPFK to play "The Mass of Life" that night.

3) Favorites: Brigg Fair, Walk, Song of Summer, Summer Night, Serenade for Violin, Violin Concerto, Appalachia (soloist & chorus), Hassan: "We take the Golden Road... ", Florida, and more. The recent premier recording of the Serenade for Violin is an absolute must. I just got the CD, Twilight Fancies, from www.Berksire..., of Ruth Golden singing the Songs - opulent! I can't figure why I can't catch-on to Seadrift and The Mass of Life; bored to tears. I accepted Beecham when he was the only act in town but I believe there are some more sensitive interpreters that are more recent; Boughton doing the Florida, even Handley, as well as better engineering technique. They sound better than Beecham in softening a couple of ugly chord progressions that Delius used. If it wasn't for Beecham, we might not have heard Delius at all.

4) Difficulty getting a Cello Concerto from the distributor through the Opus catalog.

5) The LA Phil did Irmelin Prelude about 36 years ago. I heard a rumor that the LA Phil did Brigg Fair some years ago and I am disappointed to have missed it. Two years ago I heard the Pasadena Community Orchestra do The Walk.

6) Vaughn-Williams, Debussy, Copland, Shostakovich 11th Sym, Prokoffiev, Bruckner 4th & 9th, Mahler 4th, Strauss' Ein Heldenleben, Death & Transfiguration, and Don Juan, Wagner Ring cycle, Rimsky-Korsakov, symphonists of the Romantic Period. Bach must have been inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. Mozart and Hayden are too frivolous for me. I run to turn off the radio when Bolero, the Pacabel Canon, or Symphony Fantastique comes on. I don't care much for Schmaltzinoff or Schmaltzofsky.

7) Promoting Delius, as a teenager, I ran into Gunther Schuller at the Wilshire-Ebell Theater in Los Angeles and I suggested that he include Delius in his musicology program on KPFK. He said that Delius didn't fit into any category in the pattern of historical musical development. He might as well have said that Delius was a one-of-a-kind aberration. We've heard the same story from others. Well, I have recently come to the most profound conclusion about Delius' music. Considering the fact that we can hear obvious traditional American negro music in Appalachia, Florida, and a few others; listen closely and you will hear that most of his music is influenced by American negro music. Tongue in cheek; he's an AMERICAN composer!!! Move over, George Gershwin; Koanga is in league with Porgy & Bess! I believe that I can safely speculate that there was an ongoing heartache over Delius' black mistress running off and Delius not being able to find their illegitimate son, especially as evidenced by his going through the trouble, with the assistance of Jelka, of returning to Florida for the purpose of trying to find his son. How long did the heartache continue? Did it influence his music? Just listen to his music again with another ear and it may have a new meaning for you. I imagine that many of his melodies were gathered from the songs that the negro workers sang on his plantation. The Brits aren't going to like all this. They probably won't hear the more subtle negro influences. For black musicians, this should be a cause celebre.

Richard A. Crosby

b)

c) ---

d) Richmond, Kentucky (Eastern Kentucky University)

e) 42 (as of 2000)

f) Professor of Piano/ Music History

g) (see my AOL profile)

1) Appalachia/Brigg Fair (Barbirolli's last recording). I was stunned by
the sheer beauty of the harmonic language, the ability to depict nature.
I've never gotten over it, in spite all ALL the music I've heard through
the years.

2) I bought recordings, got to meet Eric Fenby for dinner when I was in
London (he bought my meal!) and spent an hour talking about Delius the
man.

3) Sea Drift--Groves
    Songs of Sunset--Groves
    A Mass of Life (Groves)
    In a Summer Garden (Barbirolli)
    Walk to the Paradise Garden (Barbirolli)

4)  N/A

5) The Mass of Life (Cleveland, 1977?) Songs of Farewell (Cincinnati,
early 1980s). Have performed the piano concerto and the Three Preludes
(lecture/recital)

6) All types, particularly Late Romantic/Impressionistic

7) The music of Delius is a unique, rarified world of harmonic magic.
His ability to depict the "transience of creaturely love" is without
parallel. It speaks to me more personally than any other composer
(Rachmaninoff and Debussy are close 2nd and 3rd place though!) It is a
remarkable gift.

Alex Ullrich

1)  What was the first Delius work you ever heard? What was your
reaction to it?
dance rhapsody....loved it...

2)  How did you further develop an interest in Delius' music?
started looking for information on him after hearing dance
rhapsody...although i am far from educated in the field of Delius, it
doesnt stop me from listening to midis or real audio wherever they're
available...

3) Which are your favorite Delius works and in what order might you rank
them (if you're able to)?      What are your favorite Delius
recordings?  Favorite interpreters
of Delius' music?
at the current time im mostly familiar with dance rhapsody and
hiawatha...i have yet to get a cd or other media with many of his
works...apparently his music is just as hard to find in stores as is
much of the other music i listen to

4)  What works by Delius are on your "wish list" - what works have you
not heard yet or would like to see a new recording of?
dance rhapsody....everything

5) What are some Delius works you have heard performed live?
none...yet

6) What other composers and/or types of music do you like?
goth, rock, ambient new age, and classical are the genres i tend to
stick to...some video games have intriguing sound tracks too.

7) Any other comments on the music of Delius?
it suprises me that it isnt as well known as it should be

Olve Tobiassen

Frank Andrus

I have been a member of the Delius Society for many many years. I am now retired and approaching age 68 (as of 2000). As a bit of history, when I was 13 years old, in 1941, I happened to turn on the radio and was confronted with some of the most beautiful classical music I had ever heard. Fortunately, an announcer came on after the piece was finished and stated that they had just played a recording of “Paris, The Song Of A Great City” by Frederick Delius, performed by Sir Thomas Beecham with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. I was enthralled, and went to my local record shop where I purchased the Delius Society Set No. 1 containing that recording (on 78 RPM of course). That set introduced me to other Delius works, and before long I had purchased the other two Society Set s, which increased my love of Delius’ music even more. I began to search for other recordings of Delius music, and was quite successful, even during World War II. All my life, I have been extremely moved by the wonderment of the music composed by this most gifted man. Through the years, I have purchased every available recording of his music, both in the USA and in Europe. Of course, I have now collected a great number of CDs of the newest recordings, as well as the reissues of very early Beecham Delius. (My favorite is still “Paris” in the 1934 version.) I have purchased the Video of “Village Romeo” and I have read most of his biographies. When I was still in college, and also some years later, I attended several live concerts conducted by Sir Thomas in the USA, wherein the program included works by Delius. Some years ago, my wife and I visited the Delius house in Jacksonville, Florida. We also drove over 1000 miles to attend a performance of “A Village Romeo And Juliet” in Washington DC. (Frank Corsaro?). I must admit that I had to hold a handkerchief in my hand during the entire opera, I was so overwhelmed by the music. I have been delighted to be a member of The Delius Society through the years, and have saved a great number of the Newsletters, special publications, etc. My wife and I have now retired from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to a retirement community near Phoenix, Arizona. I continue to search for and relish new Delius recordings, and am sure I will do so as long as I live. I only wish it had been possible for me to attend some of the Delius Society meetings, both in the USA and in the UK. I shall always cherish what Delius has meant to me for over 50 years.

David Grundy

a.) My name is David Grundy.
b)
d) swindon, wiltshire, england
e) I am 12 (as of 2001)
f) Student

1.) The 1st Delius work I heard was on hearing the 1st cuckoo in spring. I liked it, but it gradually grew on me until I loved it.

2.) I also heard walk to the paradise garden, and so I borrowed a cd of delius music from the library and was thrilled!

3.) My favourite works are; 1.) Brigg Fair
Here he has painted a wonderful picture of peace and serenity on a summer's afternoon, with a cool, refreshing river flowing by.
2.) On hearing the 1st cuckoo in spring
THE most famous delius work, and justly so too.

4.) I would like to hear Appalaicha, sea drift... really, just all the delius music I haven't heard!

6.) I like impressionist music (eg Debussy, Ravel) and Tchaikovsky but my classical music taste encompasses many styles, from baroque to bruckner

7.) His pastoral music has no equal except among vaughan williams.
He paints beautiful musical pictures similar to Monet and his music had the ability to totally relax.

Yu Nakajima

(a)  Yu Nakajima
(b) 
(c)  http://homepage1.nifty.com/PICCOLO/p-e.htm
(d)  Japan
(e)  41 (as of 2001)
(f)  Secretary of the Music University

(g)  I play the flute, sometimes I enjoy to play Delius's Violin Sonata.
Now a days I make many Delius MIDI data and you can listen from my site.
If you don't have Roland SC88Pro,it is available for you  to get MP3
file, you can listen high quality tone like CD. Please try.

1) I can not remember when I heard Delius music first, but I bought
Violin Sonata's LP about 15 or 20 years ago, so I really like it, every
day I repeated  to listen. Every moment color, code is changing, it is
sensitive, emotion is calm but directly I could receive Delius's
message.

2) Then I bought LP (Orchestra music, conductor is Handley). I loved
this LP (few years later I bought CD of the same contents), I listen so
many times. Then I decide to collect Delius's CD. And I found many
Delius works in the Library of University.  Then I am making MIDI from
this music from these.

3) My favorite Delius are Village of Romeo and Juliet, Cuckoo, Irmelin
prelude, 2 Aquarelles, Sea Drift, Cello Concerto, Appalachia.....oh, so
many.

The best interpreters of Delius's music is Fenby! And Barbirolli,
Beecham, Recent conductor are  Hickox, Mackeras, Handley.

4) First version of Piano concerto. This work has 3 movements, not 1.
I found this score in my University's library, I try to make MIDI some
day.

5) It is very difficult to listen live performance in Japan. Only one, I
heard Violin Sonata No.3, it is played the flute. But performance was
the worst one....I was disappointed.

I belong the big amateur orchestra, I will try to ask our members to
play some of Delius music.

6) I like Sir Arnold Bax's music. I have many collection of his CD and
LP. Elger, RVW also I love. And I like French composer, Debussy, Ravel,
Poulenc. Also I love Brahms, Wagner, Bruckner. Of course Bach, Mozart,
Beethoven. Now my new favorite is Webern. It's amazing!

7) Delius is my life. Every day I heard, play, make MIDI of his music.
His music has so many colors, like real life and nature. Great!

Sorry again, my English is awful. Thank you for reading!

Franz Goedecke

a) Franz Goedecke
b)
d) Germany, Augsburg
e) 35 (as of 2001)
f) organbuilder

1) Brigg fair on Naxos

2) more CD's, contact to Dr. Harry Froehlich

3) Brigg Fair, Songs of Sunset

4) Appalachia, Koanga

6) Rachmaninov, Strauss, Scriabin, Mahler, Liszt, Wagner, Bax, Vaughan
Williams,
   Schreker, Vierne, Tournemire, Franck, Bach

7) Delius to be performed in Munich

Bill Snyder
(a) What is your name?  Bill Snyder
(b)
(c) What is your Web Page URL (if applicable)?
(d) Where are you from? Binghamton, NY
(e) What is your age (optional)? 47 (as of 2001)
(f) Your occupation?  Classical Music Director for a Public Radio Station
(g) Any other info about yourself you wish to include?

1) What was the first Delius work you ever heard?  First Cuckoo in
Spring, I think.
What was your reaction to it?  Intensely relaxing.

2) How did you further develop an interest in Delius' music? Found some
LPs in a cut-out bin, then found a recording of KOANGA.  A tenor I knew did
VILLAGE ROMEO & JULIET at NYCO.

3) Which are your favorite Delius works and in what order might you rank
them(if you're able to)? What are your favorite Delius recordings? Favorite
interpreters of Delius' music? Summer Night on the River is my
favorite.  Calinda and Koanga's arias are great.  Sleigh Ride, of course,  and many
of the smaller works.  Choral music.

4) What works by Delius are on your "wish list" - what works have you
not heard yet or would like to see a new recording of?  Would love a new recording
of KOANGA with Jeff Lavar in the title role.

5) What are some Delius works you have heard performed live?  I don't
think I ever have.

6) What other composers and/or types of music do you like?  Opera:
Wagner, Puccini, Rimsky-Korsakov, Massenet; Gilbert & Sullivan;  Sibelius and
Dvorak symphonies.

Chihiro ICHIKAWA

 (a)  What is your name?
 Chihiro ICHIKAWA

 (b)  

 (c)  What is your Web Page URL (if applicable)?
 http://chihiro.net/

 (d)  Where are you from?
 Japan

 (e)  What is your age (optional)?
 42 years old (as of 2001)

 (f)  Your occupation?
 The researcher (The ASAHI BANK Ltd. assignment).

 (g) Any other info about yourself you wish to include?
 I am one of the site master of few DELIUS sites of Japan.
 I am starting on English -ization of the site.

 1)  What was the first Delius work you ever heard? What
  was your reaction to it?
 "Over the hills and far away".
 I appreciated it first on the radio in Japan.

 2)  How did you further develop an interest in Delius' music?
 I collected a lot of DELIUS LP.
 In 1997 I made the site of DELIUS in Japan.

 3) Which are your favorite Delius works and in what order
  might you rank them (if you're able to)?
  What are your favorite Delius recordings?
  Favorite interpreters of Delius' music?
 THE MUSIC OF DELIUS (Vol. 1)SHB34
 THE MUSIC OF DELIUS (Vol. 2)SHB54
 THE MUSIC OF DELIUS (Vol. 1-Japanese version)
 A MASS OF LIFE (BEECHAM 1953?)
 LPs of the top changed my life.

 4)  What works by Delius are on your "wish list" - what works
  have you not heard yet or would like to see a new recording of?
 I want to try to listen to the unpublished works of DELIUS.

 5) What are some Delius works you have heard performed live?
 A MASS OF LIFE

 6) What other composers and/or types of music do you like?
 G. LEKEU
 I like his music, even though he passed away at the
 age of 24!

 7) Any other comments on the music of Delius?
 I think the nature of Japan, that I listen to the work of DELIUS.
 The bird sings.
 The flower blossoms.
 The scenery of a beautiful mountain.
 Even if the heart of the person changes his music does not change.
 There is deep resignation in his music.
 However, the resignation changes to the hope.
 Thank you.

Ken Duggan

Presently Cambridge, UK
54 yrs old (as of 2001)
Electronics technician / astrophysics group.

I must have been about 5 yrs old, I was laid down in front of an old
large radio set reading a book , it was a Friday , I remember that as my
parents were listening to Friday night is music night from the BBC.  At
that time we lived in N.Yorkshire just inland from Scarborough and
Whitby.  I think it was On hearing the first cuckoo in spring.  I
stopped reading and felt somehow stirred by it.  Just a few weeks later
I heard La Calinda, and that was it, I was hooked.

I heard very little Delius until my mid teens when I could afford to buy
records,  there was a MFP label and  another that was sponsored by one
of the tobacco companies. I read two books about Delius, one by one of
his brothers and
Fenbys  Delius as I knew him.  I used to study the Radio Times  (when it
was  more about radio !!) to see if  any Delius  was on, and then make a
point of  listening to it and if possible taping it. on an old reel to
reel machine.
Then in 1968 I saw  Ken Russels film  "A song of summer " on TV,
superb, no other description fits, even if some of the events were not
in proper order  or strictly speaking accurate.  It had the complete
flavour of Fenbys book.

Very difficult to put in order, I feel deeply about nearly all Delius's
music, there is only one piece  I actually dislike, "Paris", ghastly.

Probably tops would be the first of the Songs of Farewell, reading the
words whilst listening to this  is amazing.   A song before Sunrise and
Song of Summer itself probably come close seconds.  Nearly all the  I
would find impossible to score. I dont like the early recordings, The
Halle always seems to be in a rush  and the 50s recordings in the
Albert  Hall with Beecham et al seem to be plagued by people with
influenza  or with a hatred of music stands !!    My favourite recording
has to be Hickox with the Bournmouth SO /Bryn Terfil/Sally Burgess and
the Songs of Farewell.

As I have virtually all I wish for , the only thing I could wish for is
for the BBC to issue a cleaned up  video of Ken Russels film
A song of summer. It was repeated a couple of years ago as  part of the
BBCs self congratulatory  celebration of 25 years of BBC2.
It was shown one evening and then a few days later shown again. By the
time of the second showing they had removed a shot of the servant girl
at Grez, coming in with a bottle of champaigne.  For the record it was
Pol Roger  (Which I thoroughly reccomend)
I would like to see the "directors cut" as it were, the original please,
warts if any and all.

I have never heard any of Delius's music live. But I see there will be a
performance in Huntingdon in a few months time. Thats only ten minutes
up the road for me. I can hardly wait.

Other composers, Wagner,  Mahler,  Berlioz , and other types of music
probably  Tupac Shackur  (Gangsta rap)  as on several tracks he mixes
words and music  to make true poetry, just like Delius !

Jean Gibson

(a) What is your name? Jean Gibson
(b)
(c) What is your Web Page URL (if applicable)? N/A
(d) Where are you from? London England
(e) What is your age (optional)?
(f) Your occupation? artist and writer
(g) Any other info about yourself you wish to include? daughter of Delius fan born in Bradford Yorkshire

1) What was the first Delius work you ever heard? What was your reaction to it?
La Calinda from Koanga

2) How did you further develop an interest in Delius' music?
my father was a musician and played and transcribed a number of Delius items for piano- he met Eric Fenby. I have my father's original transposed piano arrangement of Irmelin Prelude.  i also have a huge collection of LPs and Cds of Delius works

3) Which are your favorite Delius works and in what order might you rank them (if you're able to)? What are your favorite Delius recordings? Favorite interpreters of Delius' music?
Beecham recordings are good. I love The Walk to the Paradise Garden-Irmelin Prelude- La Calinda- North country sketches- "Twilight Fancies" - the song about the princess looking down from the tower (which i havent heard in years and would love to hear again??) Appalachia- Paris song of a city - Eventyr - the mysterious and unusual poem for orchestra.

4) What works by Delius are on your "wish list" - what works have you not heard yet or would like to see a new recording of?
the particular mentioned song above if anyone knows where i can find it

5) What are some Delius works you have heard performed live?
endless piano works - Dad played them all the time for me- also Koanga the opera- A village Romeo and Juliet- many other concerts too in Bradford (I attended the delius centenary concerts with my dad)

6) What other composers and/or types of music do you like? bach, rachmaninov, vivaldi, chopin, liszt,tchaikovsky, mozart and the list does not end there

7) Any other comments on the music of Delius?
not the Bradford link which certainly lead to my father's special interest in the composer- i would have discovered the wonderful music myself- it has a french composer sound with the richness of english orchestration- moody tone poems that create pictures in my mind- it is the rich use of instruments in the music that specially delights me.
 

Steve Brown

a) - Steve Brown
b) -
c) - N/A
d) - Originally from Surrey, England, but now living in Edwardsville, Illinois (St. Louis area)
e) - 39 (as of February 2002)
f) - Professional darts player
g) - Although I have always enjoyed classical music, it is only in the last 10 years (since I have been in the US) that I have become acquainted with Delius. Here in St. Louis, we have a wonderful radio station in KFUO (Classic 99), and we get more than our fair share of the great man.

1) - The first piece I ever recall hearing was the "Florida Suite" on KFUO. I thought it was a wonderful piece of music, and within a couple of days, had purchased the Nimbus recording by Boughton. It was a while before I bought more Delius, although I listened to "Florida" on a very regular basis.

2) - This will probably seem a little strange, but I suppose the real turning point was the acquisition of a book entitled "Who Lies Where" by Michael Kerrigan, which lists famous graves in the UK. When I discovered that Delius and Beecham were buried in Limpsfield, less than 30 minutes from my dad's house in Surrey, I started making regular visits there on my trips back to England. Incidentally, the Church of St. Peter's is the resting place not only of these two giants of English music, but also of Delius' dear friend Beatrice Harrison, the legendary conductor Norman del Mar, and the Australian pianist Eileen Joyce. For some reason, this really spurred an interest in Delius' life, as well as his music. Naturally, I have increased my collection of CD's, but have also managed to build up a nice little library of biographical works. Only last week, I managed to visit Delius' house at Jacksonville University, and then Solano Grove. What an incredible place that is.

3) - As it was my introduction to Delius, I have to rate the "Florida Suite" as my favorite work. "By The River" evokes such beautiful images of a late afternoon on the Thames, with punts gently gliding by... Although the list is constantly changing, my current favorites would probably be : 1 - Florida Suite 2 - On Hearing The First Cuckoo In Spring 3 - Sleigh Ride 4 - A Song Before Sunrise 5 - Summer Night On The River As far as particular recordings, I have to go with Boughton's "Florida Suite". I also found a wave file on a CD-ROM of "First Cuckoo". I have no idea who it is, but it is clearly a somewhat modern new age electronic recording. Having said that, the harp sounds genuine, and it has the most wonderful ethereal feel to it. I wouldn't say it's one for the purists, but it is an absolutely incredible recording. As far as interpreters, Beecham does stand out, but Barbirolli and Handley are both excellent.

4) - As far as a wish list, I simply want whatever Delius I can lay my hands on!

5) - Sad to say, I have never heard any Delius live. Due to my profession, getting to concerts can be very difficult for me as I am competing (or traveling) most weekends.

6) - I have a very broad taste in music, listening to everything except rap! With regard to classical music, I enjoy most styles, particularly baroque and choral. I am very fond of most English music, with favorite composers being Holst, Vaughan-Williams and Arnold. My current best loved non-Delius pieces would probably be : 1 - Tallis Fantasia (RVW) 2 - Miserere (Allegri) 3 - Ave Maria (Caccini) 4 - Cavatina (Myers) 5 - Rhapsody In Blue (Gershwin) 6 - Night on Bare Mountain (Mussorgsky) 7 - A Grand, Grand Overture (Arnold) 8 - Symphony No. 5 (Shostakovich) 9 - Carmina Burana (Orff) 10 - Symphony No. 40 (Mozart)

7) - I have never heard any music like that of Delius; I just wish that more people were aware of his existence, particularly in England.

(a) Tony Watts

(b) 

(c) None

(d) Bridgwater, Somerset, U.K.

(e) 61 (as of March 2002)

(f) Library assistant

(g) I have four children and six grandchildren and I’m a published poet.  At risk of seeming to boast, I’d like to mention here that I wrote a poem about Delius which won first prize in a national poetry competition.
 

1) On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring.  My first experience of Delius was much the same as that described by Philip Heseltine and Eric Fenby in their books.  It was a revelation.

2) I was fourteen.  I saved up my pocket money to buy as many recordings of Delius as I could get hold of.  I also read any relevant literature that came my way, e.g. books by Heseltine, Fenby and Arthur Hutchings.

3) Delius’s most exquisite short pieces are the two most often performed - The First Cuckoo and The Walk to the Paradise Garden.  I would also include amongst my favourites the whole of A Village Romeo and Juliet, Sea Drift, Songs of Sunset, A Late Lark and (in glorious refutation of those who claim that Delius wrote only ‘soothing’ music) the most stirring piece of music I know - the opening chorus of A Mass of Life.  Then, of course, there are many beautiful songs and chamber works I could mention… I think perhaps I should just say that my favourite piece is the one I happen to be listening to.

I don’t know of anyone who has surpassed Sir Thomas Beecham in the interpretation of Delius’s music, but I am thankful for contemporary performers who have shown an affinity with it, e.g. Tasmin Little and Julian Lloyd Webber.

4) I would like to see complete recordings of all the operas - also the early unrecorded song cycle Maud, which I once heard performed and thought to be quite up to standard.

5) I attended the 1962 Delius Centenary Festival at Bradford, which consisted of a week (or was it two?) of performances at various venues.  Needless to say I attended them all.  The works performed were too numerous to mention but included a complete staging of A Village Romeo and Juliet.  More recently I have heard th Violin Concerto  performed at Taunton.  I belong to the West Country Branch of the Delius Society which sometimes organizes amateur performances of the songs and chamber works, which are very enjoyable.

6) With the obvious exception of Delius, I tend to have favourite works rather than composers.  These include Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony. Barber’s Adagio for Strings, Fauré’s Elegie, Rachmaninov’s Vocalise and two extremely moving song cycles, Peter Warlock’s The Curlew and Vaughan Williams’s On Wenlock Edge.  It should be obvious from this list that I share with Delius a preference for music which is deeply felt and addresses the emotions directly.  The appeal of music to the intellect is of only secondary importance to me.  I have an affinity with what one might call the ‘Delian’ portion of the emotional spectrum.  Music, for me, has always been a kind of drug that transmutes sadness and longing into beauty.  As such, its appeal transcends conventional stylistic barriers, so I must also mention here the jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, particularly his work with the Gil Evans Orchestra.  I like a lot of folk music, especially Irish, but I ‘m sure the most beautiful little-known melodies in the world are sung in Scots Gaelic and have been recorded by the folk group Capercaille.

7) I find it inexplicable and annoying that Delius has never been admitted into the select company of those who are considered to be the world’s greatest composers.  He has never become part of the established cannon. This is surprising as (to paraphrase the well-known lager commercial) his music ‘reaches the parts that no other music can reach.’  In trying to describe the character of Delius’s music, one tends to come up with things like ‘contemplative’, ‘nature mystic’, ‘the transience of beauty’, etc. - but these are just words and their inadequacy becomes overwhelmingly apparent whenever the music is heard.

Mark Parry

a) Mark Parry
b)
d) Mid Glam S Wales U K
e) 48 (as of March 2002)
f) Caregiver

1)  The first piece of Delius I heard was The Song of the high hills.  I can remember it as if it was yesterday. It was in 1971, I was 18 yrs old.  I'd just tuned into BBC Radio3 and what I heard just bowled me over.  I'd tuned in just before the first climax of the work [the flute triplet figures at position 8 in the score].  My reaction to the music was somewhat mixed: firstly, I found the music extremely beautiful, and profound, but at that time it seemed somewhat formless.

2) After that first hearing I decided to find out as much as I could about  the composer.  At that time in 1971 there were few Delius records available locally, so I wrote of to HMV in London for a catalogue ,and they sent me a list of his works.
The first record I bought was of Brigg Fair The first cuckoo in spring  etc conducted by Anthony Collins on a Decca label.

3) My favourite Delius works are: The Song of the high hills
                                              North country sketches
                                               Brigg Fair
                                               An Arabesque
Favourite recordings are North Country Sketches Royal Liverpool phil,conducted by Sir Charles Groves.
Song of the high hills R P O  Beecham
Favourite interpreters are Beecham .Collins.Norman del Mar .Sir Charles Groves and Eric Fenby.

4) I'd like to get hold of the suite from Folkeradet.

5)

6) Other composers I like are: Arnold Bax, Roger Quilter[childrens overture], Resphigi , [Pines of Rome etc]

7) With so many so called great composers Mozart, Beethoven, etc., you know from the structure of the music what is coming next.  With Delius, there is always the element of surprise; he leads you into unfamiliar territory, and, in his greatest music we become held , as if in a dream until that dream fades away.

Delius is to my mind the greatest Nature poet of them all, and long may his music continue.

David Bugbee

TJ Pridonoff

 Joe Shapiro

a.      Joe Shapiro

b.     

c.        

d.      Kansas City MO, USA

e.       

f.        Computer Programmer

1.      First heard a synthisized recording of Delius sonata no. 2 on a web site.

2.      Heard a real recording of Deluis sonta no. 2 at the library then bought Tamin Little’s recordings of Delius. I performed the Sonata No. 2 and working on performing the last movement of the 1914 Sonata.

3.      Order of favorites is Violin Sonata en si, Sonata No. 2 then the 1914. Like much of the orchestral works.

4.       

5.      Not heard any performed live, but would like to.

6.      Mainly Violin Conertos and composers like Wieniawski, Dvorak and Prokoviev.  Also, like the Bach and Corilli Sonatas.

7.      His music for violin is very eloquent and also mysterious.  It would be good if the Delius sonatas could be purchased, but most are out of print.

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