Delius has featured in the record catalogues since the 1920s and over the years a vast legacy of recorded music has accumulated, including many incomparable - and definitive - performances. Unfortunately the majority of those discs are currently unavailable as nowadays most record companies tend to keep even new issues in their catalogues for a comparatively short period of time. It's true that some recordings do stay in circulation for years, but others can be in the shops for just a few months before being deleted. This makes the task of recommending specific recordings of individual works not only impractical but also frustrating if they're no longer obtainable.

But rest assured, there is plenty of Delius around on CD, with new recordings coming out all the time. What you'll find shown below falls into two categories. Firstly, a selection of what might be called "starter packs" - anthologies containing some essential Delius works which provide a good point of entry if you're starting to explore Delius's music and don't have much - or indeed any - Delius on your shelves. Secondly, you'll find a listing of the most recent Delius recordings to appear and which you can read about in more detail through the published reviews in the relevant edition of The Delius Society Journal.

All the recordings listed below, in both categories, should currently be available.

BASIC ANTHOLOGIES

Great Recordings of the Century: Beecham / RPO
EMI CLASSICS CDM 5 67552 2
[includes: Brigg Fair, Dance Rhapsody no.2, On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, Summer Night on the River, Irmelin Prelude, A Song Before Sunrise, Summer Evening]

Delius Orchestral Works: Barbirolli / Hallé
EMI CMS5 65119-2 (2 CDs)
[includes: Brigg Fair, Appalachia, In a Summer Garden, Song Before Sunrise, On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, Summer Night on the River, Late Swallows, Irmelin Prelude, A Song of Summer, Fennimore and Gerda Intermezzo, The Walk to the Paradise Garden and excerpts from Hassan, Koanga],

The Delius Collection: RPO / Del Mar / Handley / Fenby etc.
UKCD 2071 - 2077
[Orchestral, Choral & Chamber Works on 7 discs, available separately;
consult a record catalogue for full details of each disc's content]

Delius Orchestral Works: Mackerras / WNO Orch.
DECCA 460-290-2DF2
[includes: Brigg Fair, In a Summer Garden, The Walk to the Paradise Garden, North Country Sketches, Florida Suite, Aquarelles, On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, Summer Night on the River, Dance Rhapsodies 1 & 2]

Delius Orchestral Works: Del Mar / Bournemouth Sinfonietta
CHANDOS CHAN 6502
[includes: On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, Summer Night on the River, A Song Before Sunrise, Aquarelles, Fennimore and Gerda Intermezzo, Irmelin Prelude, Late Swallows, Hassan Serenade]

Delius Orchestral Works: Handley / Hallé
CLASSICS FOR PLEASURE CD-CFP 4568
[includes: Brigg Fair, In a Summer Garden, Eventyr, A Song of Summer]

Delius Orchestral Works: Handley / LPO
CLASSICS FOR PLEASURE CD-CFP 4304
[includes: Fennimore and Gerda Intermezzo, On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, Summer Night on the River, A Song Before Sunrise, Irmelin Prelude, Sleigh Ride, The Walk to the Paradise Garden]

Delius Orchestral Works: Hickox / Bournemouth SO / Northern Sinfonia
HMV CLASSICS HMV5 73453-2
[includes: Summer Evening, Sleigh Ride, On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, Summer Night on the River, A Song Before Sunrise, Florida Suite]

Delius Orchestral Works: Hickox / Bournemouth SO
CHANDOS CHAN 9355
[includes: Dance Rhapsodies 1 & 2; North Country Sketches, In a Summer Garden, The Walk to the Paradise Garden]

Delius Orchestral Works: Davis / BBC Symphony Orchestra
APEX 8573 89084 2
[details to follow]

RECENT ISSUES

"A Mass Of Life": Beecham / RPO / London Philharmonic Choir /
Raisbeck / Sinclair / Craig / Boyce
SONY SM2K 89432
[A double CD reissue of a definitive recording of this work (rec. 1952/3) which has long been out of circulation]

"Frederick Delius In Norway": RLPO / Bostock / Lund / Hall
includes: On The Mountains (Symphonic Poem)
Seven Songs From The Norwegian
Paa Vidderne (Melodrama)
CLASSICO CLASSCD 364
[three world premiere recordings highlighting Delius's "Norwegian connections". See review in DSJ 129]

"The Beecham Collection": LPO / RPO / Beecham
includes: An Arabesk (rec. 1934 with Roy Henderson)
Songs Of Sunset (rec. 1934)(with Olga Haley / Roy Henderson)
Songs (rec. 1929 / 1938) (with Dora Labette)
SOMM-BEECHAM 8
[some previously unissued material recorded at the 1934 Leeds Festival. See review in DSJ 129]

"Free Spirits" : Bridge String Quartet
includes: String Quartet (1916)
MERIDIAN CDE 84401
[also features the two surviving movements from the early 1888 string quartet. See review in DSJ 129]

"Frederick Delius Piano Music": Charles Abramovic
includes seven previously unrecorded items.
DIRECT TO TAPE DTR 2001
[See review in DSJ 129]

"While Spring and Summer Sang": Alan Rowlands
includes three masterly piano transcriptions by Alan Rowlands of Delius's shorter orchestral works plus nine original piano pieces by John Ireland
[contact the Delius Society for details of how to obtain this disc]

"Frederick Delius: Danish Masterworks": Aarhus SO / Danish National Opera Chorus / Aarhus Chamber Choir / Bonde-Hansen / Reuter / Bo Holten
includes new recordings of En Arabesk, Seven Danish Songs of 1897, Five Danish Songs (orchestrated by Bo Holten) and Lebenstanz.
DANACORD DACOCD 536

Prepared for The Delius Society by the Vice-Chairman, Paul Guinery

Note For further discographical information, please consult Roger Buckley, Chairman, The Delius Society, c/o RJBuckley@aol.com