Summer Evening
Frederick Delius (1862-1934)
Delius composed many impressionistic pieces; indeed, almost all of his orchestral works have descriptive titles, of which four are teasingly similar: ‘Summer Night on the River’; ‘A song of Summer’; ‘In a Summer Garden’; ‘Summer Evening’. This evening we hear the last of these, and what a privilege that is because the work lay hidden for many years and is performed rarely. It was composed in 1890 yet received its première only in 1946.
As a ‘tone poem’, it sets a scene rather than tells a story, and while the general mood of the music may well conjure thoughts of a summer evening, the listener has to furnish the details within the mind’s ear. When asked for a programme note on ‘In a Summer Garden’, Delius stated: ‘I do not much care for analytical programmes as they are generally done, and for modern impressionistic music they are totally useless.’ This tetchy comment reflects his abrasive personality and his battle against misfortunes, principally blindness.
But his music remains serene. As we bathe in these seductive sonorities we might note a similarity between this music and Debussy’s tone poem: Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune. ‘Summer Evening’ predates the Debussy by four years, highlighting Delius’s modernity and individuality, characteristics that have won him a devoted following for almost a century.
Frederick Delius (1862-1934)
Delius composed many impressionistic pieces; indeed, almost all of his orchestral works have descriptive titles, of which four are teasingly similar: ‘Summer Night on the River’; ‘A song of Summer’; ‘In a Summer Garden’; ‘Summer Evening’. This evening we hear the last of these, and what a privilege that is because the work lay hidden for many years and is performed rarely. It was composed in 1890 yet received its première only in 1946.
As a ‘tone poem’, it sets a scene rather than tells a story, and while the general mood of the music may well conjure thoughts of a summer evening, the listener has to furnish the details within the mind’s ear. When asked for a programme note on ‘In a Summer Garden’, Delius stated: ‘I do not much care for analytical programmes as they are generally done, and for modern impressionistic music they are totally useless.’ This tetchy comment reflects his abrasive personality and his battle against misfortunes, principally blindness.
But his music remains serene. As we bathe in these seductive sonorities we might note a similarity between this music and Debussy’s tone poem: Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune. ‘Summer Evening’ predates the Debussy by four years, highlighting Delius’s modernity and individuality, characteristics that have won him a devoted following for almost a century.