COMPOSERS: Delius
LABELS: Sony
WORKS: North Country Sketches; Eventyr; Over the Hills and Far Away; Closing Scene from Koanga
PERFORMER: RPO/Thomas Beecham
CATALOGUE NO: SMK 58934 ADD (1950/53)
According to Eric Fenby, Delius often exclaimed, ‘Whatever should I do without Beecham!’ These 40-year-old recordings confirm Beecham’s extraordinary feeling for Delius, with phrasing which ideally serves the uniquely mellow Romanticism of his style, while never neglecting the longer view. The remastered recordings are clear and perfectly satisfactory; but they cannot fully capture the atmospherically beautiful sound world – of paramount importance to the enjoyment of these works. Terry Barfoot
Delius: North Country Sketches; Eventyr; Over the Hills and Far Away; Closing Scene from Koanga
According to Eric Fenby, Delius often exclaimed, ‘Whatever should I do without Beecham!’ These 40-year-old recordings confirm Beecham’s extraordinary feeling for Delius, with phrasing which ideally serves the uniquely mellow Romanticism of his style, while never neglecting the longer view. The remastered recordings are clear and perfectly satisfactory; but they cannot fully capture the atmospherically beautiful sound world – of paramount importance to the enjoyment of these works. Terry Barfoot
Our rating
5
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:31 pm