The Delius Society Journal Spring 2001, Number 129 The Delius Society (Registered Charity No. 298662) Full Membership and Institutions £20 per year UK students £10 per year US/\ and Canada US$38 per year Africa, Aust1alasia and far East £23 per year President Felix Aprahamian Vice Presidents Lionel Carley 131\, PhD Meredith Davies CBE Sir Andrew Davis CBE Vernon l Iandley MA, FRCM, D Univ (Surrey) Richard I Iickox FRCO (CHM) Lyndon Jenkins Tasmin Little f CSM, ARCM (I Ions), I Jon D. Lilt, DipCSM Si1 Charles Mackerras CBE Rodney Meadows Robc1 t Threlfall Chain11a11 Roge1 J. Buckley Trcaswc1 a11d M11111/Jrrship Src!l'taiy Stewart Winstanley Windmill Ridge, 82 Jlighgate Road, Walsall, WSl 3JA Tel: 01922 633115 Email: delius(alukonlinc.co.uk Serirta1y Squadron Lcade1 Anthony Lindsey l The Pound, Aldwick Village, West Sussex P021 3SR 'fol: 01243 824964 Editor Jane Armour-Chclu 17 Forest Close, Shawbirch, 'IC!ford, Shropshire TFS OLA Tel: 01952 408726 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.dclius.org.uk Emnil: [email protected]. uk ISSN-0306-0373 Ch<lit man's Message............................................................................... 5 Edilot ial....................... .... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... 6 ARTICLES BJigg Fair, by Robert Matthew Walker................................................ 7 Frede1ick Delius and Alf1cd Sisley, by Ray Inkslcr........... .................. 30 Limpsficld Revisited, by Stewart Winstanley....................................... 35 A Forgotten Ballet ?, by Jane Armour-Chclu ........................................ 40 DELJUS SOCIElY MEETINCS London, 20 Scptembc1 2000 ............................................................ 49 London, 19 Octobe1 2000 ................................................................ 51 Midl<lnds Branch, 4 November 2000............................... ...... .. .. .. .. .. .. 54 London, 23 November 2000 ............................................................ SS London, 6 Feb• uilry 2001 . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... S9 BARBIROLLI MEMORIAL UNVEILING ...... ...................................... 61 PRESENTATION EVENING ATTIIE ROYAL NORWEGIAN EMBASSY ... 64 UIEATRE REVIEW A Summer Garden at Stratford upon Avon......................................... 67 CONCERT REVIEWS J\ Mass of Life: Royal Festival Hall, London, 12 October 2000 ................... 70 Violin Concerto: Tasmin Lillie (violin), Liverpool, 24 February 2001.. ........... 71 RECORDING REVIEWS Delius in Norway: RLPO conducted by Douglas Bostock....................... 73 Free Spirits: Delius & Grieg String Quar lels: The Bridge Quartet............. 77 Frederick Delius - Piano Music: Charles Abramovic................. ...... .. .. 78 The Beecham Collection: Songs of Sunset etc....................................... 80 Ile1 il<lge & Legacy: RLl'O conducted by Dougk1s Bostock...................... 85 VIDEO REVIEW Beecham: Chicago Symphony Orchestra............................................ 87 BOOK REVIEWS YNwdi Mr1111hi11: I Iumphrey Burton ................................................... 88 '11u• l'ai11tc>1s i11 Grrz· s 111 Loing: an exhibition cat.iloguc ............................ 89 NEWS FROM AMERICA.............................................................. 92 OBITUAR.IES..... .. .... ..... ............... ..................... .. .. ........... .......... 95 John Bishop, E f Weaver THE DELIUS SOCIE1Y AND THE FEDERATION OF RECORDED MUSIC SOCIETIES LTD ................................................................... 101 MISCELLANY............................................................................. 102 LEITERS TOTIJE EDITOR. .......................................................... 109 Robert Matthew-Walker, Tony Watts, E Michael Jackson DELIUS RADIO LISTINGS, Scptembc1 2000 to Fcbruaiy 2001 ............... 111 ANNUAL GENEI~L MEETING AND SOCIAL CAlliERING 2001 ........ 113 FORTHCOMING EVENTS ............................................................ 114 CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE --------- Roland Gibson MSc PhD, 28February1917 -1 March 2001 We have learned with great sadness that our Founder, Dr Roland Gibson, died on the day after his 84lh birthday, following a brief illness. Rodney Meadows has recorded that the fitst meeting of The Delius Society look place on 14 April 1962; 35 members attended. This had come about as a result of Roland's letters lo a number of publications suggesting the formation of such a Society. I myself recall that I responded to a letter that appeared in Radio 11111£'5. The early years had their administrative difficulties and Roland's resolution was smcly tested, but he remained a member of the Committee until 1967 and accepted Vice-Presidency thereafter. He continued lo wtile and lecture on Delius and, with his wife Jean, was often seen al AGMs and the London meetings. At last June's Birmingham AGM weekend l talked with Roland about 2002, the 40lh anniversary yeat of lhal first meeting, and the celebration, cent1ed on him, that I was planning. Though modest, as always, he seemed delighted with the idea. A formal obituary will appear in the next issue of this }oumal. Meanwhile, as the Chairman of your Committee I pay lr ibulc lo Roland, a man of great intellectual rigour, originality and humour, who laid the Society's foundation stone fou1 decades ago. Meanwhile, the work of the Society continues to strengthen and widen, as Roland would have wished. As a culmination of this season's activities, we anticipate a splendid ACM weekend in Gloucester in August, culminating in a performance in the cathedral of A Mass of Life. Your Committee looks forward lo welcoming you the1e! Rolnnd .md Jenn Gibson in Scptembrr 2000 Phntogra11/1 /1mr A• r1w111 Clre/11 5 Aslam putting the finishing touches to this edition, it is obvious that it is going to prove to be as big as the last. Several members have remarked on the size and the range of content of DSJ 128, as if it was by design. In fact, it is the membership as a whole that should be congratulating themselves. The fouma/ is a reflection of the increasing involvement of you all in the Society, and also an indication that interest in the music nnd life of Delius is as sltong, if not strnngcr, thnn ever. That this should be the cnse almost forty years after the foundation of the Society by Roland Gibson is in itself a tribute to him. TI1e next edition of the joumal will be dedicated to his memory. Roland will be sorely missed. I hope there will be something in this issue for everyone. Members who attend meetings in London may recall some years ago the talk given by Robert Matthew Walker on the subject of BriK._C: Fair. Unfortunately, I was not there; so for me, and the numerous members who missed out on this fascinating nnd informative talk, the script of the evening is included. Abe1deen member Ray Inkste11 has .-ilso sent an interesting a1 tide on the painte1 Alf1ed Sisley; and for membe1 s who may not have visited Delius's grave, our Treasurer and Membership Secretary, Stewat t Winstanley, has revisited on their behalf. The final article, which I have researched, came about because of information received from Edward Dax in the USA The ensuing discoveries I made as a result just go lo prove that there is still more to discover about the music of Delius. I would especially like to thank those who have sent in miscellaneous items via email to me. The website is attracting more and more attention, and messages arrive from all over the wmld. This increase in communication between us all will undoubtedly ensure that the Journal continues to contain items to interest everyone. My sincere thanks to all who have contributed lo this Joumal I couldn't have done it without you. 6 DELIUS'S BRIGG FAIR IN WORDS AND MUSIC Robert Matthew Walker PART I - THE WORDS Frederick Delius was 45 years old when he completed BriJ?g Fair in the second half of 1907, subtitling it A11 L11glish Rhapsody. This was his first puiely orchestral work since Paris of 1899, and was the first of three consecutive rnchesltal compositions to which he gave, or appended, the title of Rhapsody: the others were 111 A Summer Garde11 and the Da11ce Rhapsody No 1, both of which were w1 ilten in 1908. HriJ?g Fair takes it name from the Lincolnshi1e folk song on which it is based, a song collected by Percy G1 ainger in 1905. ll was Grainger who brought the song to Ddius's attention, as he recalled when w1 iting of the provenance of the work in a programme note for a performance he conducted at the Hollywood Bowl on August 7th, 1928: 'In 1905 I noted down from the singing of Mr Joseph Taylor, of Saxby-All-Saints, Lincolnshire, England (the most perfect English folk-singer I ever heard, whose illuminating renderings of English rural songs and singing traditions have been finely recorded by the London Gramophone Co.), a model melody of singula1 archaic charm, enlitled"Brigg Fair", the words of which nm as follows: "It was on the fift' of August, the weather fine and fair, Unto Brigg Fair I did repair, for love I was inclined. I rose up with the lark in the morning, with my heart so full of glee, Of thinking there to meet my dear, long time I wished to sec. I looked over my left shoulder lo sec whom I could sec, And there I spied my own true love, come tripping down to me. I took hold of he1 lily-white hand, and merrily was her heart, And now wc'1e met togcthc1, I hope we ne'e1 shall part. for it's meeting is a pleasure, and parting is a grief, But an unconstant lover is worse than a thief. The green leaves they