Frederick Delius
file:Fritz Delius (1907).jpg, Delius, photographed in 1907
Frederick Theodore Albert Delius (born Fritz Theodor Albert Delius; ; 29 January 1862 – 10 June 1934) was an English composer. Born in Bradford in the north of England to a prospero ...
's Cello Concerto was composed in 1920–1921. The world premiere was given in January 1923 in Vienna by
Alexandre Barjansky. The work was written at the request of the English cellist
Beatrice Harrison, who was the soloist at the British premiere in July 1923.
This was the composer's favourite of his concertos. It was first commercially recorded in 1965 and has received further recordings subsequently.
Background and first performances
After Delius had composed a Cello Sonata for
Beatrice Harrison she urged him to write a concerto for her. He began sketching the work in 1920, completing it in May 1921. Although it was written for Harrison, Delius's publishers arranged a prestigious world premiere in Vienna, by the Russian cellist Alexandre Barjansky, with
Ferdinand Löwe conducting.
[Burn, Andrew (2011). Note to Chandos CD CHSA 5094 ] Harrison gave the British premiere on 23 July 1923, in a concert at which she also played the
Elgar concerto with the composer conducting.
Eugene Goossens conducted the Delius. Harrison gave the American premiere on 28 October 1927, with
Fritz Reiner
Frederick Martin Reiner (; December 19, 1888 – November 15, 1963) was an American conductor of opera and symphonic music in the twentieth century. Hungarian born and trained, he emigrated to the United States in 1922, where he rose to promine ...
conducting the
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription concerts, n ...
.
Structure
The concerto plays without a break, but has five distinct sections:
*Lento – Slow
*Con moto – tranquillo – Becoming Slower
*Lento – Very Quietly
*Con moto tranquillo
*Allegramente – With animation
The work typically plays for between 20 and 25 minutes.
[
]
Critical reception
After the British premiere ''The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.
In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'' described the concerto as "beautiful but backboneless … It is from beginning to end nothing but a sort of long one-movement rhapsody". In ''The Manchester Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', Ernest Newman wrote "It is better in detail than as a whole. It abounds in momentary lovelinesses, but long before the end the absence of any sort of climax … induces a sense of monotony".
Recordings
The Delius Trust website lists five commercial recordings of the concerto:
*Jacqueline du Pré
Jacqueline may refer to:
People
* Jacqueline (given name), including a list of people with the name
* Jacqueline Moore (born 1964), ring name "Jacqueline", American professional wrestler
Arts and entertainment
* ''Jacqueline'' (1923 film) ...
, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England.
The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...
, Sir Malcolm Sargent (January 1965)
* Erling Blöndal Bengtsson, Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Meredith Davies
Albert Meredith Davies CBE (30 July 1922 – 9 March 2005) was a British conductor, renowned for his advocacy of English music by composers such as Benjamin Britten, Frederick Delius and Ralph Vaughan Williams.
His co-conducting, with the comp ...
(March 1976; live recording)
*Julian Lloyd Webber
Julian Lloyd Webber (born 14 April 1951) is a British solo cellist, conductor and broadcaster, a former principal of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the founder of the In Harmony music education programme.
Early years and education
Julia ...
, Philharmonia Orchestra
The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI Classics, EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Rich ...
, Vernon Handley
Vernon George "Tod" Handley (11 November 1930 – 10 September 2008) was a British conductor (music), conductor, known in particular for his support of British composers.
Early life and education
He was born of a Welsh father and an Irish mothe ...
(October 1982)
*Raphael Wallfisch
Raphael Wallfisch (born 15 June 1953 in London) is an English cellist.
Background
Wallfisch was born into a family of distinguished musicians; his father was the pianist Peter Wallfisch and his mother is the cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisc ...
, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic is a music organisation based in Liverpool, England, that manages a professional symphony orchestra, a concert venue, and extensive programmes of learning through music. Its orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmo ...
, Sir Charles Mackerras (June 1991)
* Paul Watkins, BBC Symphony Orchestra
The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. The ...
, Sir Andrew Davis (October 2010)." Works for Solo Instrument(s) and Orchestra"
The Delius Trust. Retrieved 4 February 2019
See also
*
List of compositions by Frederick Delius
The musical compositions of Frederick Delius (1862–1934) cover numerous genres, in a style that developed from the early influences of composers such as Edvard Grieg and Richard Wagner into a voice that was uniquely Delius's. He began serious c ...
References
{{Frederick Delius
1921 compositions
20th-century classical music
Concertos by Frederick Delius
Delius