Portrait of Frederick Delius: Life and work of the English Romantic composer 

The extraordinary adventure of Frederick Delius' early and middle years and the circumstances in which he produced his greatest music are revealed through rehearsal and performance of a selection of his work by artists now discovering and currently championing his music, including Sir Charles Mackerras, the Welsh National Opera Orchestra, violinist Tasmin Little, cellist Julian Lloyd Webber, baritone Thomas Hampson, the Brindisi Quartet, the Brabant Orchestra of Holland, conducted by Richard Armstrong and the Brighton Festival Chorus.
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Additional documentary sequences include Robert Threlfall of the Delius Trust explaining his continuing work on the complete edition and his fascinating research into the original manuscripts and Sir Thomas Beecham’s editing; Felix Aprahamian, the distinguished critic talks about Delius’s operas, his life in Paris and his own personal experience of meeting Delius in France; the composer Anthony Payne explains the different instruments and sounds of Delius’s music and how it has influenced him; and Dr. Eric Fenby talks about his time with the composer.
Accompanying the music are sequences, specially filmed in the landscape Delius loved in Norway, and in the garden by the river at the house in Grez-sur-Loing, South of Paris, where Delius and his wife made their home. An extract from Ken Russell’s celebrated film on Delius, A Song of Summer, is also featured.
The music chosen focuses on the landmarks of Delius’s creativity and reveals every aspect of his compositional style and includes extracts from the film of A Village Romeo and Juliet, featuring Thomas Hampson; A Mass of Life from the 1992 Brighton Festival; Sir Charles Mackerras and the Welsh National Opera rehearsing and performing The Song of the High Hills and movements from the Florida Suite. Tasmin Little discusses, rehearses and performs the Concerto for Violin and Piano; the Sonata for Cello and Piano is performed by Julian Lloyd Webber; and the Brindisi Quartet rehearses and performs Late Swallows from the String Quartet.
Directed by Derek Bailey, 1993.
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