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Delius operas

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Cal
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« on: May 29, 2009, 04:31:20 pm »

Prompted by Gerard's post on the Desert Island Disc thread, I wonder if anyone can tell me if there is a dvd of 'Fennimore and Gerda'? I have what I consider to be a wonderful dvd of 'Village Romeo and Juliet'( Hampson) and I watch this with great pleasure.
I don't know 'Fennimore' as well having only heard the music and not seen a performance. This also brings to mind how rarely the operas are performed in England ; I saw 'Koanga' in London a couple of years ago and I believe the 'Magic Fountain' was performed in Scotland about 5 years ago, but that hardly seems good enough for a British composer's music .
I am told that they are performed more often in Germany , I wonder why this is?

There is a certain relaxed beauty about his operas, they are atmospheric and melodic , so I wonder, is this the reputation of 'wishy washy' music that is following Delius around being described thus by people who seem only to have heard the usual cooking the first hero in spring pieces?


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guest2
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« Reply #1 on: May 30, 2009, 11:35:28 am »

Here is a list of Delius's six operas, with dates of composition and first performance:

  • Irmelin (1892; FP Oxford 1963)
  • The Magic Fountain (1895; FP - concert version only - London 1977)
  • Koanga (1897; FP Eberfeld 1904)
  • A Village Romeo and Juliet (1901; FP Berlin 1907)
  • Margot-la-Rouge (1902; FP Saint Louis 1983 )
  • Fennimore and Gerda (1910; FP Frankfurt 1919)

Like member Caroline, I have seen the action of Romeo and Juliet, but unlike her not that of Koanga; nevertheless I am pleased to have managed to collect the audio of all of them from wireless broadcasts or libraries.
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smittims
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« Reply #2 on: May 31, 2009, 09:55:37 am »

Hi, Caroline, 'Fennimore and Gerda' in the 1970s EMI recording  conducted by Meredith Davies, was available on an EMI 'British Composers' CD, but it is no longer listed.

It's one of  a large number of famous EMI recordings not currently available. I wish they would value their archive more. I think this is the only commercial recording of the work.
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Cal
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« Reply #3 on: May 31, 2009, 12:16:57 pm »

Hi smittims,  thanks for your reply. I do have the rather fine cd of Fennimore and Gerda that you mention, but I am wondering if there is a dvd. I expect the answer is no - which is a pity !!

Have you seen any of Delius's operas live or on dvd? they DO work !!

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guest2
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« Reply #4 on: May 31, 2009, 02:02:44 pm »

Hi, Caroline, 'Fennimore and Gerda' in the 1970s EMI recording  conducted by Meredith Davies, was available on an EMI 'British Composers' CD, but it is no longer listed.

That must be the version - on LPs of course - that I borrowed from the Leamington library around 1982 and copied to seven-inch tape. I wonder if it is still there. Worn out and tipped long ago more likely.
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smittims
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« Reply #5 on: June 02, 2009, 12:24:18 pm »

Yes, Caroline, I've seen the DVD of the film they made using the Mackerras recording of 'A Village Romeo and Juliet'.

I like it very much; it solves some of the immense problems of staging this opera, so much of which is set in the open air,and requires a ploughing horse and  a sinking boat
.
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