SEA DRIFT by Frederick Delius was performed by the Houston Masterworks
Chorus and
Orchestra on Saturday, November 8, 2003 in Houston, Texas at the Stude
Concert Hall on the
campus of Rice University. Dr. Craig Hella Johnson
conducted, and Gerald Dolter was the
baritone soloist.
The concert program notes by David Mead gave generous detail about Delius'
life and musical
style, along with insightful analysis of SEA DRIFT. There
was also mention of Don Gillespie's
finding that Thomas F. Ward, teacher of Delius, resided in Houston
in his final years.
Dr. Johnson began the program with some spoken remarks. Here is
my recollection of his
comments:
"The first work you will be hearing tonight is SEA DRIFT by Frederick
Delius. Then, after an
intermission, you will hear A SEA SYMPHONY by Ralph Vaughan Williams.
These two
magnificent works are rarely performed outside of Europe. Both
are settings of texts by Walt
Whitman, whose poems were popular with composers in the late 19th and
early 20th century. In
SEA DRIFT, Delius' haunting music portrays the themes of death, loss
and the transience of
life." (He followed with some comments about the RVW work.)
In my opinion, SEA DRIFT was performed superbly. It was
quickly apparent that Dr. Johnson
had prepared the performance with utmost care, and he demonstrated
a great appreciation for
and understanding of Delius' music.
The music began quietly with shimmering clarity. The acoustics
of the beautiful Stude Concert
Hall were perfect.
The "surging of the sea" was felt throughout the work with gentle crescendo
and decrescendo.
There were many "spine-tingling" moments during the performance, particularly
the choir
entrances on "Once Paumanok", "Shine! Shine! Shine!" and "O Rising
Stars!" There were
memorable moments in the orchestra also: the bass drum softly booming
the crash of the waves;
the two harpists in "Yes, when the stars glisten'd"; and the many woodwind
passages.
Gerald Dolter's rendering of the baritone solo conveyed the emotions
of the story very
effectively. His voice was well-suited to the work.
My only wish is that his voice could have been
miked and amplified for a better balance with the orchestra and chorus:
I had to strain to hear
him clearly when the full ensemble was playing. I understand
that miking the soloists in this
type of concert is not common practice, but in this case it would have
helped.
The concluding section "O past! O happy life!" was just overwhelming.
As the music died away,
there was complete silence in the hall. Then, a very nice
round of applause from the audience.
Thus ended a rare performance of the music of Frederick Delius in Houston,
Texas. I hope that
the Houston Masterworks Chorus will follow this success with more of
Delius' choral works in
future seasons.
Houston Chronicle review of the concert
Houston Masterworks Chorus
3131 West Alabama, Suite 302
Houston, TX 77098
713.529.8900
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