Partsongs of Delius

I was first introduced to Delius' choral music through The Splendour Falls on Castle Walls. It has a humorous, jazzy quality to it which has stuck with me still.

For those interested in the scope of Delius' writing, this album intuitively lays the music out chronologically. It is neat to hear the Brahms-ian early works opposite his later chromatic style.

If I had a problem with this recording, it is the chorus here is not particularly characterful. They sing beautifully, don't get me wrong; but I always wondered if a splendid sounding choir should apply their sound to all literature ad nauseam, or use their base sound as a springboard to delve into the ways of making the music stand out. I am for the latter, obviously, but a fine sounding chorus is nothing to sneeze at either!

A review from 2024

This may be the only recording to grab all of Delius’ choral music, plus some choral entries from his operas and orchestral works, here in different garb.

This album is laid out chronologically, allowing the listener to hear the composer’s progression from Brahms-influenced German partsongs, to his own, jazzy-inflected English choral numbers. If anything, Delius’ music sounds more chromatic and difficult as he ages, but it also gets more interesting, including his selection of texts.

There are three numbers from his operas, and they are a nice inclusion, as they are chorally focused. Here, piano accompaniment takes over for the orchestra, and a pipe organ for the Romeo and Juliet Wedding Scene. Furthermore, there are two choral excerpts from Delius’ incidental music Hassan.

Even more interesting for me are the songs that contain no texts at all; it is pure Delius music without the words getting in the way and it makes for very curious listening.

The Elysian Singers of London are a lovely sounding British choir, even if they don’t dirty their hands much. While there is plenty of variety amongst Delius' choral music, Matthew Greenall and his singers might have imbued a little more spice and zing. Regardless, this is a well-balanced singing ensemble with a beautiful tone.

A complete album of Delius choral music is rare, but there are two other recordings of note: the Carice Singers shared with the music of Arnold Bax, and Paul Spicer and his Birmingham students, shared with the music of John Ireland. Neither gives as complete of a picture as Greenall's recording of the Partsongs.

Listen on YouTube

Works
Early Partsongs (11.26)
Irmelin Choruses (5.50)
Village Romeo & Juliet Wedding Music (4.05)
Appalachia Chorus (4.20)
On Craig Ddu (3.48)
Wanderer's Song (3.09)
Midsummer Song (1:43)
Two Songs for Children (4.24)
Two Songs to the Sung of a Night on the Water (4.49)
Hassan Choruses (2.54)
Spendour Falls on Castle Walls (2.24)

Performers
Elysian Singers of London
Matthew Greenall, conductor

Label: Continuum; Somm
Year: 1992; 1997
Total Timing: 50.23

 

 Complete anything is great for someone trying to hear every last fluid ounce of output from a composer.

The Elysian Singers of London might strike the same light, smooth touch to every work here, but it is beautiful nonetheless.

Find more Delius recordings HERE!