Frederick Delius - 1862-1934 - An English composer. Born in the north of England to a prosperous mercantile family, he resisted attempts to recruit him to commerce. He was sent to Florida in the United States in 1884 to manage an orange plantation. There he soon neglected his managerial duties, and in 1886 returned to Europe. Having been influenced by African-American music during his short stay in Florida, he began composing. After a brief period of formal musical study in Germany beginning in 1886, he embarked on a full-time career as a composer in Paris and then in nearby Grez-sur-Loing, where he and his wife Jelka lived for the rest of their lives, except during the First World War.
In his later years Delius became blind and severely disabled, unable to complete his life's work. In 1928 a music teacher and fellow Yorkshireman from Scarborough offered his services as an amanuensis to the blind and paralyzed composer. This was to allow a radiant Indian Summer in the final years at Grez.. Composing continued with the aid of Eric Fenby taking down the notes, offering his complete devotion to Delius. Fenby also enabled the completing, reshaping and promoting of so much of Delius' previous work. The story has been beautifully told in Ken Russell's iconic film 'A Song of Summer' available on this channel
The Florida Suite is an orchestral suite was composed during 1887 at Leipzig, after Delius' time as manager of an orange grove in Florida, inspired by its landscape and culture, mainly centred on the St. Johns River. During this time, Delius also studied music with an organist in Jacksonville. This suite is one of the composer's more popular works.
On this video the complete work all four movements in sequence.
1 - Daybreak and Dance
2 - By the River.
3 - Sunset Near the Plantation.
4 - At Night.
The video includes Images recalling the composer's time at Solano Grove on the banks of the St. John's River. There a mix of Florida's rich and diverse wildlife with the amazing back-drop of lush forests and wetlands. (Everglades). The third, and then the final movement incorporates images of the plantation area taken from 2005. The actual site of Delius' cabin and his view of the St. John's River which was obscured by trees at the time of my visit.
Enjoy the this The Full Movie!
Why not own this great album?
Album Info:-
Delius - Florida Suite.
Recorded at Leeds Town Hall - August 1995.
English Northern Philharmonia Orchestra - David Lloyd Jones.
Naxos DDD - 8.553535
Apologies for any unintended infringement of copyright. In mitigation there is no element of profit or personal gain in the making of this video and any offence caused is totally unintentional
19 авг 2024
