Delius: The Walk to the Paradise Garden

On this CD:

1. A Village Romeo & Juliet, lyric drama, RT i/6 Walk To The Paradise Garden
Composed by Frederick Delius
Performed by Bournemouth Sinfonietta
Conducted by Richard Hickox

2. A Dance Rhapsody (No. 1), for orchestra, RT vi/18
Composed by Frederick Delius
Performed by Bournemouth Sinfonietta
Conducted by Richard Hickox

3. A Dance Rhapsody (No. 2), for orchestra, RT vi/22
Composed by Frederick Delius
Performed by Bournemouth Sinfonietta
Conducted by Richard Hickox

4. In a Summer Garden, rhapsody for orchestra, RT vi/17
Composed by Frederick Delius
Performed by Bournemouth Sinfonietta
Conducted by Richard Hickox

5. North Country Sketches, for orchestra, RT vi/20 Autumn
Composed by Frederick Delius
Performed by Bournemouth Sinfonietta
Conducted by Richard Hickox

6. North Country Sketches, for orchestra, RT vi/20 Winter Landscape
Composed by Frederick Delius
Performed by Bournemouth Sinfonietta
Conducted by Richard Hickox

7. North Country Sketches, for orchestra, RT vi/20 Dance
Composed by Frederick Delius
Performed by Bournemouth Sinfonietta
Conducted by Richard Hickox

8. North Country Sketches, for orchestra, RT vi/20 The March of Spring
Composed by Frederick Delius
Performed by Bournemouth Sinfonietta
Conducted by Richard Hickox

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
For years, the only champion of the music of Frederic Delius (1862-1934) was Sir Thomas Beecham. His music was too moody--sometimes even flabby--for the British public. But his tone poems, which constitutes the bulk of his compositions, made way for Arnold Bax and countless others. Richard Hickox's take on these works is a moderate one, exercising restrain where Beecham let go ... or wallowed. Excellent here are the two Dance Rhapsodies and the killer "North Country Sketches," perhaps Delius's best-known work. If the Beecham recordings are hard to find, then the Chandos series is probably your best bet. --Paul Cook

Tracks:

Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring - Karl Munchinger
Meditation - Nigel Kennedy
In Paradisum - Iwan Edwards
Gymnopedie No. 1 - Charles Dutoit
Flower Duet - Joan Sutherland
The Swan - Jascha Silberstein
Sleepers Awake - Raymond Agoult
Humming Chorus - Vienna State Opera Chorus
Nimrod - Sir Georg Solti
Walk To The Paradise Garden - Sir Charles Mackerras
Pavane, Op. 50 - Iwan Edwards
Panis Angelicus - Julian Lloyd Webber
Ombra Mai Fu (Largo) - Anthony Way
The Lark Ascending - Iona Brown

Tracks:

Clair De Lune - Pascal Roge
Sheep May Safely Graze - Karl Munchinger
Symphony No. 3 - Second Movement (Excerpt) - Joanna Kozlowska
Stabat Mater - Judith Raskin
Ave Maria - Julian Lloyd Weber
Adagio - Miklos Perenyi
Ave Verum Corpus, K618 - Peter White
Andante Molto Mosso: Scene By The Brook - Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt
Dance Of The Blessed Spirits - Karl Munchinger
Largo - Colin Davis
Wiegenlied (Lullaby), Op. 49 No. 4 - Marisa Robles
Adagio - Valery Gergiev
Air On A G string - Sir Neville Marriner

Customer Reviews:

Two and a half hours of divine music...what more can I say?.......2006-02-27

Well, a lot! And since no one else has taken the trouble to review my favorite Adagios collection, I'm just gonna hafta go an' do it myself, won't I?

Starting with the stunningly gorgeous 'Jesu, joy of man's desiring' by Bach, this tape reels you in instantly. I'm not much of a fan of 'slow' and 'peaceful' music; I like the beautiful, sublime type that just makes you tingle all over whenever you hear it. (If only Canon in D was in this tape my cup of joy would overflow) Anyway, don't stop listening because Delibes' 'Flower Duet' comes soon after and it is the very meaning of divine. I listen to the taoe just to hear that one song over and over--but not too much, or it'll loose it's touch. This is a Opera duet (sorry, don't know technical terms, my passion is music, not the science of) sung by two women, for those of you out there like me who know practically nothing!! Gorgeous! Sugoi!! (That's Japanese)

Ahem.
The lovely 'Ombra mai fu' (which, I believe Elizabeth Bennet's sister horribly sings in the BBC Pride and Prejudice miniseries) is another memorable piece (hear the previews of these titles, please) and finally, William Vaughan's 'The Lark Ascending' a sixteen minute piece of violin heaven played so expertly you will see larks flying in circles about your head--or is that because your noggen got whacked?

Well, as for the second CD, it wasn't quite as memorable, but it's up against perfection, ok? Brahms' 'lullaby' (yes, THAT lullaby) is really sweet and of course there's 'Claire de Lune', a favorite of the Adagios collection, besides 'Sheep may safely graze' and 'Air on a G string'. (Honestly, does EVERY Adagios collection have that one? It's not even that wonderful.)

But what am I going on and on for?
BUY IT!!!!

NOW!!!!

STOP THINKING ALREADY AND BUY IT!!!
=^-^=

Average customer rating:

Superb Music

In a Summer Garden: The Music of Delius

Manufacturer: Class. for Pleas. Us
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000647HU
Release Date: 2004-03-02

Tracks:

Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: Introduction (Slow. Pastoral)
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: I. Theme & Variations 1-6 -
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: II. Interlude (Slow And Very Quietly)
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: III. Variations 7-12
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: IV. Variations 13-17 -
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: Coda (Very Quietly)
In A Summer Garden
Eventyr (Once Upon A Time)
A Song Of Summer
Summer Night On The River - London Philharmonic Orchestra
A Song Before Sunrise - London Philharmonic Orchestra
A Village Romeo And Juliet: The Walk To The Paradise Garden - London Philharmonic Orchestra

Customer Reviews:

Superb Music.......2005-03-20

This Classics For Pleasure CD is a new release of older material from two previous albums. Unlike previous releases this contains nearly 80 minutes of music so it is excellent value.

Delius is often described as a British composer, which is slightly inaccurate. He had German parents, he lived in the United States, travelled to France and Germany as well as other parts of Europe before settling in France. He was in many ways an International Composer. His music may seem curiously eclectic. Think of Debussy with a bit of a Grieg melody and Wagnerian drama thrown in. Yet his music seems all the more distinctive because of it.

Vernon Handley's interpretation of these pieces have often been regarded as a bit too emotional, much like other British Conductors like Barbarolli and Beecham who recordings are yardsticks which others are measured. Yet Brigg Fair has an incredible lyricism and the rare Eventyr combines the Debussian impressionism with drama. The use of percussion and the shouting voices, presumably from the orchestra itself, in the hands of Handley come across so vividly. This piece alone with Handley's direction brought Delius to my attention. I now enjoy Delius' music more than I do say Elgar, Holst and Vaughan Williams.

This is a great introduction to Delius' music and can be recommended with enthusiasm.

Vaughan Williams: Fantasia On Greensleeves, Etc.

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A Most Beautiful Classical Recording!

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Tracks:

Fantasia On Greensleaves (Arr. Ralph Greaves): Fantasia On Greensleeves
The Lark Ascending
Engllish Folk Song Suite: I March: Seventeen Come Sunday
English Folk Song Suite: II Intermezzo: My Bonny Boy
English Folk Song Suite: III March: Folk Songs From Somerset
Serenade For Strings
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Capriol Suite: V Pieds-en-l'air
Capriol Suite: VI Mattachins (Sword Dance)
A Shropshire Lad
Two English Idylls
The Banks Of Green Willow

Tracks:

The Walk To The Paradise Garden
The Opera 'Hassan': Intermezzo and Serenade
A Song before Sunrise
On Hearing The First Cuckoo In Spring
Summer Night On The River
The Opera Koanga: La Calinda
Serenade For Strings, Op. 20: Allegro piacevole
Serenade For Strings, Op. 20: Larghetto
Serenade For Strings, Op. 20: Allegretto
Sospiri For Strings, Harp And Organ, Op.70
Elegy For Strings, Op.58
The Spanish Lady - Suite
Introduction And Allegro For String Orchestra And Quartet, Op.47

Customer Reviews:

A Most Beautiful Classical Recording!.......2000-02-22

This is one of my favorite classical albums. I find myself listening to it very frequently. Of particular enjoyment is disc two featuring beautiful and stirring works by Delius and Elgar. This is a most relaxing and refreshing recording that will wonderfully and continually soothe the mind and soul!

Bax: Tingtagel; Delius: The Walk to the Paradise Garden; A Song of Summer; Irmelin Prelude and others

Average customer rating:

Lovely readings, but the music is pastoral to the point of stupor

Bax: Tingtagel; Delius: The Walk to the Paradise Garden; A Song of Summer; Irmelin Prelude and others

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000MX7STG
Release Date: 2007-03-06

Tracks:

Tintagel
The Walk To The Paradise Garden
Irmelin Prelude
A Song Of Summer
La Calinda
In A Summer Garden
A London Overture

Customer Reviews:

Lovely readings, but the music is pastoral to the point of stupor.......2007-03-14

In Britain the modernist movement was a sidelight to the pastoral movement, a constant outpouring of pastures, meadows, and brooks painted in soft pastels. The most bracing of the pastoral composers was Vaughan Williams, but here we get the palest of all, Frederick Delius, whose peaceful dreaming occupies this whole CD except for Bax's Tintagel at the beginning and Ireland's London Over. at the end. Beloved as Delius is in the UK, to my ears these five works are a single, long soporific wandering. Tunes vaguely flow in and around the mists, none of them memorable. Harmonies are hazy but uninteresting. Ireland ad Bax rise to a little more excitment--it would be hard not to--but Tintagel, King Arthur's ancestral castle on the wild rocks of Cornwall, seems pretty sleepy, too, except for the occasional outbreak of a storm. Ireland's London isn't exactly on the move, either.

Enough. Lovers of British pastoralism will be delighted by these ripe performances from the hand of Sir John Barbiroli, while the rest of us can loll our heads and smile as we nap.

Delius: On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring

Average customer rating:

Lloyd-Jones is a Worthy Successor to Beecham as a Delian

Delius: On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring

Manufacturer: Naxos
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Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00019P6PE
Release Date: 2004-03-16

Tracks:

Marche Caprice
I. Summer Evening
II. Winter Night (Sleigh Ride)
III. Spring Morning
American Rhapsody
The Walk To The Paradise Garden
I. On Hearing The First Cuckoo In Spring
II. Summer Night On The River
A Song Before Sunrise
Fantastic Dance

Customer Reviews:

Lloyd-Jones is a Worthy Successor to Beecham as a Delian.......2004-04-14

In 1997 David Lloyd-Jones conducted a different program of Delius orchestral (and vocal) music that included the early 'Florida Suite' and the final scene of his American opera 'Koanga.' It was with a different orchestra, the English Northern Philharmonia, and it was very good, very natural-sounding. I wondered at the time - perhaps 'hoped' is a better word - if this might be the beginning of a Delius series on the Naxos label. Well, here it is seven years later and another program of Delius orchestral music with Lloyd-Jones at the helm, this time of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Indeed, the ten works on this disc are recorded in chronological order, beginning with the 'Marche Caprice' (which I'd never heard) from 1889 and leading on to his very last piece, 'Fantastic Dance,' premièred only four months before his death in 1934. (I'd also never heard this piece. Shame on me!)

In between these two not-so-well-known pieces are some of his loveliest creations. There are the 'Three Small Tone Poems,' each named for a season: 'Summer Evening,' 'Winter Night,' 'Spring Morning.' There was originally a fourth piece called 'Autumn,' but it seems to be lost. These works, from the same time period as the early 'Marche Caprice,' confirm that Delius from early on was able to limn the characteristics of nature as well as any English composer ever has.

'American Rhapsody' is a shorter version of the later 'Appalachia' and does not contain a choral section. But it does contain worksongs from the African American workers whom Delius heard singing when he was in Florida running a family-owned orange plantation. It also includes extensive treatments of 'Dixie' and 'Yankee Doodle.' The piece was never performed as written until the 1980s.

'The Walk to the Paradise Garden,' from his opera, 'A Village Romeo and Juliet,' is, of course, one of Delius' most loved compositions. It is given a meltingly beautiful reading here. Following that are 'Two Pieces for Small Orchestra,' containing the vastly familiar 'On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring' and then the somewhat less-heard 'Summer Night on the River.' I was not aware until reading the excellent booklet notes by Hugh Priory that 'Cuckoo' quotes a Norwegian folksong that had also been used by Grieg. Again, Lloyd-Jones and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra do themselves proud. In fact, I don't know if I've ever heard a lovelier 'Cuckoo' either in concert or on recording. And that includes Beecham's famous recording. Simply splendid!

The CD is rounded out by 'A Song Before Sunrise,' written in 1918, the last of Delius' nature studies. 'Fantastic Dance,' dictated to Delius' amenuensis Eric Fenby after he became incapacitated, is rather more spirited than any of the foregoing and is a fitting close to this entirely glorious concert.

This is an impressive program well-played and -recorded, and all the more so when one considers the budget price.

Enthusiastically recommended.

Tracks:

Brigg Fair
In A Summer Garden
The Walk To The Paradise Garden - (A Village Romeo And Juliet)
North Country Sketches: I. Autumn
North Country Sketches: II. Winter Landscape
North Country Sketches: III. Dance
North Country Sketches: IV. The March Of Spring

Tracks:

Florida Suite: I. Daybreak
Florida Suite: II. By The River
Florida Suite: III. Sunset
Florida Suite: IV. At Night
Two Aquarelles (arr. Fenby): I. Lento, ma non troppo
Two Aquarelles (arr. Fenby): II. Gaily, But Not Quick
On Hearing The First Cuckoo In Spring
Summer Night On The River
Dance Rhapsody No.2
Dance Rhapsody No.1

Average customer rating:

Rapturous !

Delius: Orchestral Works

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000002S5L
Release Date: 1995-02-14

Tracks:

Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: Brigg Fair:I. Introduction (Slow. Pastoral)
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: Brigg Fair:I. Theme (With Easy Movement)
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: I. Variation 1
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: I. Var. 2
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: I. Var. 3
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: I. Var 4
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: I. Var. 5
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: I. Var. 6
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: II. Interlude (Slow And Very Quietly)
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: III. Var. 7 (Rather quicker but not hurried)
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: III. Var. 8
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: III. Var. 9 (With easy movement)
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: III. Var 10
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: III. Var. 11 (Slow. With Solemnity)
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: III. Var. 12 (Maestoso)
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: III. Transition
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: IV. Var 13 (Gaily)
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: IV. Var. 14
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: IV. Var. 15
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: IV. Var 16
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: IV. Transition (Rather quicker)
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: IV.Var.17 (Rather Slower. Very Broadly)
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody: IV. Coda(Very Quietly)
In A Summer Garden
Rehearsing Appalachia
Apalachia - Variations On An Old Slave Song With Final Chorus: Appalachia:Introduction (Molto moderato - Tranquillo - Poco piu)
Apalachia - Variations On An Old Slave Song With Final Chorus: Theme (Andante)
Apalachia - Variations On An Old Slave Song With Final Chorus: Variation 1
Apalachia - Variations On An Old Slave Song With Final Chorus: Var. 2 (Moderato)
Apalachia - Variations On An Old Slave Song With Final Chorus: Var. 3 (Piu vivo)
Apalachia - Variations On An Old Slave Song With Final Chorus: Var. 4 (Molto moderato)
Apalachia - Variations On An Old Slave Song With Final Chorus: Var. 5 (Con moto)
Apalachia - Variations On An Old Slave Song With Final Chorus: Var. 6 (Giocoso. Allegro moderato)
Apalachia - Variations On An Old Slave Song With Final Chorus: Var. 7 (Lento e molto tranquillo)
Apalachia - Variations On An Old Slave Song With Final Chorus: Var. 8 (Misterioso)
Apalachia - Variations On An Old Slave Song With Final Chorus: Var. 9 (Andante con grazia)
Apalachia - Variations On An Old Slave Song With Final Chorus: Var. 10 (Lento sostenuto e tranquillo)
Apalachia - Variations On An Old Slave Song With Final Chorus: Var. 11 (Allegro alla marcia)
Apalachia - Variations On An Old Slave Song With Final Chorus: Var. 12 (Marcia. MOlto lento maestoso)
Apalachia - Variations On An Old Slave Song With Final Chorus: Var. 13 (L'istesso tempo)
Apalachia - Variations On An Old Slave Song With Final Chorus: Var. 14 (Misterioso lento)
Apalachia - Variations On An Old Slave Song With Final Chorus: Finale (Lento - Piu mosso)

Tracks:

On Hearing The First Cuckoo In Spring - F. DELIUS
Summer Night On The River - F. DELIUS
A Song Before Sunrise - F. DELIUS
Intermezzo And Serenade From 'Hassan': Intermezzo - F. DELIUS
Intermezzo And Serenade From 'Hassan': Serenade - F. DELIUS
La Calinda - F. DELIUS
Late Swallows - F. DELIUS
Fennimore And Gerda: Intermezzo from 'Fennimore and Gerda' - F. DELIUS
The Walk To The Paradise Garden: The Walk To The Paradise Garden from A Village Romeo and Juliet - F. DELIUS
Irmelin Prelude - F. DELIUS
A Song Of Summer - F. DELIUS

Customer Reviews:

Rapturous !.......2003-01-15

I find these renditions by Sir John Barbirolli totally beguiling. He brings warmth and deep sincerity to everything he portrays here. One surely senses the great love he had for Delius' music. Much of the charm wrought by the conductor has to do with the turn of various phrases. Time and again he caresses melodies. Simultaneously, he conveys a feeling of simple joyousness. Hear the Intermezzo from Fennimore and Gerda; The Walk to the Paradise Garden; the Irmelin Prelude, with its pastoral beauty; La Calinda, where one feels serenaded in a happy, carefree manner. A Song Before Sunrise weaves a similar pattern. In addition, there's that wonderful exotic quality that here and there echoes in Delius' music. Brigg Fair seems to have both this at some moments and yet a pleasing, homespun British character during other moments. Sometimes too there is a nostalgic yearning. In this vein, one can only relax and drink in the expressive portrait of Late Swallows. And what about the playful, carefree In a Summer Garden or the imposing, spiritual folk picture, Appalachia ? In so many ways, both this sensitive composer and conductor reach out to touch the life-affirming soul. How can one not be soothed and refreshed by what is offered here ? If there's anything missing, perhaps it's the composer's Summer Evening, another of his memorable pieces. A wonderful collection, and a source of inspiration. By the way, I find Barbirolli's Delius more enjoyable than Beecham's.

Average customer rating:

Delius: The Walk to the Paradise Garden

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000000AWJ
Release Date: 1995-04-18

Tracks:

The Walk To The Paradise Garden: Lento
A Dance Rhapsody (No. 1)
A Dance Rhapsody (No. 2)
In A Summer Garden: Andante - Animato
North Country Sketches: I Autumn - The Wind Soughs in the Trees, Slow, with even flowing movement
North Country Sketches: II Winter Landscape - Slow
North Country Sketches: III Dance - Mazurka tempo
North Country Sketches: IV The March of Spring - Woodlands, Meadows and Silent Moors. With a light, lively and throbbing movement, never dragging

Amazon.com

For years, the only champion of the music of Frederic Delius (1862-1934) was Sir Thomas Beecham. His music was too moody--sometimes even flabby--for the British public. But his tone poems, which constitutes the bulk of his compositions, made way for Arnold Bax and countless others. Richard Hickox's take on these works is a moderate one, exercising restrain where Beecham let go ... or wallowed. Excellent here are the two Dance Rhapsodies and the killer "North Country Sketches," perhaps Delius's best-known work. If the Beecham recordings are hard to find, then the Chandos series is probably your best bet. --Paul Cook