For many years, Delius's concertos were considered less successful and too rhapsodic, even by advocates like Thomas Beecham, but later musicologists argued for their highly organized structure.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Delius adopted a personal approach to the concerto genre, where soloists are vehicles for melodic flow rather than engaging in a traditional contest with the orchestra.
Compositional Technique
All three concertos on this album are cast in a single movement, though their precise structures vary, and they incorporate principles of sonata form.
Composition History
Delius was inspired to write the Double Concerto after hearing sisters May and Beatrice Harrison perform Brahms's Double Concerto in 1914.
Interpretation
Paul Watkins, the cellist on this recording, largely returns to Delius's original Cello Concerto score, despite a 1932 edition by Herbert Withers that aimed to make it more playable.
Composer Biography
Frederick Delius, the composer, initially disparaged classical forms but became interested in them in his fifties, leading to the creation of the concertos on this album.
Composition History
The Cello Concerto was the last work Delius completed in his own hand before a devastating illness affected his final decade.
