Delius - Hiawatha, Double Concerto, Suite for Violin & Orchestra, Légende, Caprice and Elegy

This is, at least as far as I can see, the only available version of Delius's early tone poem Hiawatha (1888), a wonderfully soaring, wistful, shimmering and achingly melodic work here presented in a performing edition prepared by Robert Threlfall. Stylistically it is slightly reminiscent of Tchaikovsky, perhaps, and although the idiom may not be as personal as in his later works there are passages and turns of the phrase that are inimitably Delian, in particular the Delius of, say, the Florida suite, and ideas that are quite memorable. No, there is nothing American, or native American, about the work, but it is still a lovely tone painting - evocatively though relatively transparently scored and beautifully constructed - that should be investigated and savored by any fan of the composer.

The other works are scored for solo instrument and orchestra, and some of them are better known. The Suite for violin and orchestra, from the same year as Hiawatha, is presumably the same work that was recorded by Ralph Holmes and Vernon Handley in the 90s, though I don't know that disc and cannot be certain whether it is the same version or edition. It is a delightful work in four movements of what is essentially light music - as opposed to Hiawatha the language here is more generically romantic and less obviously Delian, but some of the melodies are nevertheless rather memorable and the whole work is well worth getting to know.

The Handley disc mentioned also contained the Légende for violin and orchestra from 1895, which is another fine, wistfully tuneful work that could very well have been part of the suite - in other words it is something of a throwback to an earlier, less personal style, but it hardly matters when the result is so compelling. The Double concerto is a mature work and much better known - as of course it should be (though it is not as well known as it deserves), since it is an absolutely gorgeously marvelous work, to the extent that I am not even going to try to describe its rapturous beauties and breathtakingly vivid atmospheres in words. That said, what we get here is not the usual version for violin, cello and orchestra, but an arrangement by Lionel Tertis for violin, viola, and orchestra. The differences aren't enormous, but to me the viola creates even lighter, airier textures than the cello, and the effect is wonderful, so even those who do not know the work in its original form could very well start here (real Delians need both).

Finally we get the (in context) relatively familiar Caprice and Elegy, but also here in a Tertis arrangement for viola and orchestra. This time around I am less sure that the music gains that much, but it is still a lovely work, and Sarah-Jane Bradley makes the solo part sing with poignancy and yellowy-tinged nostalgia. She does a stellar job in the Double Concerto as well, partnered by the sweet but never sugary tone of Philippe Graffin. Graffin, in turn, is eloquent and light in the Légende and the Suite, with superb phrasing, buoyancy and spirit. The BBC Concert Orchestra under David Lloyd-Jones is excellent as well, and they are captured in warm, well-balanced though perhaps slightly dry sound. An excellent disc, urgently recommended.