Want to try out some Delius but don’t know where to start?
It’s not surprising, given the vast body of work the composer put together before his death.
We asked Roger Buckley, of the Delius Trust, to give us some suggestions.
He said: “Your question is so difficult! My own ‘top five’ would be different, but for a newcomer finding his or her way into the music, I think I’d suggest:
* Florida Suite (includes the dance ‘La Calinda’)
* The Walk to the Paradise Garden (from the opera ‘A Village Romeo and Juliet’)
* Sea Drift
* Violin Concerto
* Two Pieces for Small Orchestra (On Hearing The First Cuckoo In Spring and Summer Night On The River) “If you want to include one piece of chamber music, I’d suggest the second Violin Sonata.
“This omits all of the songs, the part-songs and the operas (apart from the interlude from VR&J), and the major choral and orchestral works (apart from Sea Drift), I’m afraid.
“This is why the question is so difficult!”
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