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Review
Delius's three string concertos make a striking sequence.Written in his later life(1915-21),they are all single-movement works lasting 20-25 minutes,with a rhapsodic quality that has caused them to be patronised as unrigorous.The musicologist Deryck Cooke, however,went to enormous trouble,in an analytical chapter of his book Vindications,to demonstrate the themetic intergration and solid basis of the Violin concerto.All the same,a magical sensuous flow is the presiding quality of this superior performance by Little.Watkins is no less captivating in the Cello Concerto,with its heart-easing slow second section. --Sunday Times,02/10/11
Delius's three concertos for stringed instruments were all composed when the composer was in his 50s. The Double Concerto for violin and cello came first in 1916; the Violin Concerto followed immediately, though it was not performed until 1919, and the Cello Concerto was completed in 1921. In performance, too, they all sound as if they were carved out of the same creative block, in which conventional concerto dialogues are replaced by less confrontational rhapsodising with soloists, and orchestra combining to unfold Delius's long-limbed melodies. None of the concertos has ever been particularly popular, even among Delius's admirers. But if ever a disc was going to make a case for any of these pieces, it's this one. There is wonderfully idiomatic support from Andrew Davis and the BBC Symphony, as both Tasmin Little's account of the Violin Concerto and Paul Watkins's of the cello work seize every opportunity to inject incisiveness and dramatic shape into the music. --Guardian,27/10/11
Recommended in Classic fm's Christmas CD Guide --Classic fm,Dec'11
No self-respecting Delian can afford to be without this indispensable issue. --Gramophone,Dec'11
"This exceptional recording has exceeded my expectations... a really important CD of Delius s music: a truly outstanding issue." --International Record Review - October 2011
Masterly accounts of Delius's concertos for strings, together for the first time on disc. --The Strad,Dec'11
Delius's three concertos for stringed instruments were all composed when the composer was in his 50s. The Double Concerto for violin and cello came first in 1916; the Violin Concerto followed immediately, though it was not performed until 1919, and the Cello Concerto was completed in 1921. In performance, too, they all sound as if they were carved out of the same creative block, in which conventional concerto dialogues are replaced by less confrontational rhapsodising with soloists, and orchestra combining to unfold Delius's long-limbed melodies. None of the concertos has ever been particularly popular, even among Delius's admirers. But if ever a disc was going to make a case for any of these pieces, it's this one. There is wonderfully idiomatic support from Andrew Davis and the BBC Symphony, as both Tasmin Little's account of the Violin Concerto and Paul Watkins's of the cello work seize every opportunity to inject incisiveness and dramatic shape into the music. --Guardian,27/10/11
Recommended in Classic fm's Christmas CD Guide --Classic fm,Dec'11
No self-respecting Delian can afford to be without this indispensable issue. --Gramophone,Dec'11
"This exceptional recording has exceeded my expectations... a really important CD of Delius s music: a truly outstanding issue." --International Record Review - October 2011
Masterly accounts of Delius's concertos for strings, together for the first time on disc. --The Strad,Dec'11
CD Description
These three major concertos by Frederick Delius involving solos string instruments are here brought together on the same disc for the first time. The Violin Concerto, Double Concerto, and Cello Concerto are performed by exclusive Chandos artists strongly associated with British repertoire. Sir Andrew Davis and the BBC Symphony Orchestra have already released one Delius disc this year (CHSA 5088 Appalachia and The Song of the High Hills), of which International Record Review (IRR) said: I am absolutely certain that this is the greatest performance and recording of Delius Appalachia which has ever been put on disc... it would be hard if not impossible to imagine a more magnificent performance of this masterpiece... the playing is unfailingly beautiful and infused with sensitivity, brilliance of technique and vividness of colour. Tasmin Little, who won the Critics Choice Award at this years Classic BRIT Awards, is the soloist in the Violin Concerto. This is not a virtuosic showpiece in the ordinary sense; instead the solo part stays harmonically connected with the orchestra throughout; in fact, it seems to grow out of its textures. The work is composed in a single long span, divided into three clear sections in which different moods succeed one another, sometimes passionately spontaneous, sometimes dreamlike, sometimes fiery. Paul Watkins is the soloist in the Cello Concerto, which Delius regarded as his personal favourite among his concertos. It was the last work that he was able to complete in his own hand before experiencing the onset of the devastating effects of syphilis: paralysis and blindness. Tasmin Little and Paul Watkins join forces in the rarely performed and recorded Double Concerto, which represents Delius at his most inspired: the work is warmly evocative as well as strong and memorable. The soloists get to showcase their abilities in music that is both passionate and tranquil. This as a Hybrid SACD.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
May be due to stiff competition I was less enthusiastic about Tasmin Little's performance in Elgar's Violin Concerto than many others were. But this time I cannot but express my greatest admiration for her sensitive playing in Delius' Violin Concerto. In fact the whole disk is a treasure trove: Programme, soloists, orchestra, conductor and, last but not least, the typical Chandos sound. Delius' background is not as British as one would think. Of German descent, he has spent a large part of his life in France. `External' influences are noticeable, though more German than French, as he did not mingle much with the French musical world. Yet, most listeners are convinced that his music is firmly rooted in the Anglo-Saxon tradition and that, in order to flourish and bring out the beauty, performances are best served by `native' English interpreters. This may largely be the result of the admiration of the late Sir Thomas Beecham for the compositions of Delius and his continued efforts to bring these to the attention of British audiences. Delius' markings like `rather quiet, `rather quicker' etc. have a typically British flavour, too, and it would seem that you have to be born and grown into understanding this kind of lyrical country style inspired music to recreate what seems to have been meant by him. On my side of the Channel, British music does not enjoy the same popularity as it does `over there'. With this disk, however, Chandos makes a most convincing statement. In the hands of the chosen performers, Delius becomes so much more than `On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring'. We have here the three major solo works for strings (excluding the Caprice and Elegy, for Cello and Orchestra and the Suite for Violin and Orchestra): The seldom played double concerto, the better known violin concerto and, finally, his melodious Cello Concerto. Tasmin Little and Paul Watkins are a perfect team in the Double Concerto and the latter excels in the Cello Concerto, turning it into a most memorable experience. Together with Tasmin Little's aforementioned playing in the Violin Concerto, nothing but praise, therefore, and that includes Andrew Litton and his musicians. Those who are not familiar with Delius' larger compositions can't do better than buying this disk and enjoy it as much as I did.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
These are estimable performances of all three works and I should just about give the palm to this recording of the Double Concerto over Little's earlier recording with Mackerras.
Good as they are , and indeed this is an excellent way of getting all three concertos on one disc - I still prefer the gorgeous sensual performance of the Violin Concerto by Ralph Holmes and Vernon Handley on Unicorn Kanchana and the deeply romantic du Pre/Sargent recording of the Cello Concerto which makes Watkins sound rather earthbound in comparison but then she was a very hard act to follow in this work as in the Elgar.
Good as they are , and indeed this is an excellent way of getting all three concertos on one disc - I still prefer the gorgeous sensual performance of the Violin Concerto by Ralph Holmes and Vernon Handley on Unicorn Kanchana and the deeply romantic du Pre/Sargent recording of the Cello Concerto which makes Watkins sound rather earthbound in comparison but then she was a very hard act to follow in this work as in the Elgar.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I write as a Delius fan since the early 1950s when I used to attend concerts by the Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra and under Maurice Miles they gave most elegant performances of that Comperer's works and also extra special ones of Haydn. I looked forward to this recording with great expectations knowing how sincerely Tasmin Little has championed the concertos included on this disc and the high class technical skills Chandos bring to CD recordings. I will not go in to detail but give shortcut opinions based on listening to most recording of the music of Delius over many years. I would give it five stars on most counts and agree in many respects with former reviewer but I must reduce that to four stars on account of style in fortissimo passages. Sometimes I feel like a voice crying in the wilderness when I condemn too many classical performances for being frantic in fortissimo passages. In Delius' music in particular the playing always demands broad, loving and ecstatic care over every note. Jean Pougnet gets near this in the still definitive recording with Beecham and the RPO but here on this CD the playing tends towards the frantic and aggressive whenever the intensity and volume rises to a climax. It seems to be difficult for modern orchestras to achieve this when they are used to playing much classical music in a "safe" standard style. Remember Beethoven was an anathema to Delius. Sometimes Tasmin Little's vibrato is unnecessarily excessive and the notes are attcked in fortissimo passages but the tone is otherwise big and expressive and the intertwining of the two parts in the double concerto is excellent. Thanks to the performers and Chandos for making this CD available and only the frantic style in loud passages reduce the rating.
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