British Music Information Centre, 26 November 1998
Reviewed in Delius Society Journal 123 pp39-40

Introduction and thanks by Richard Kitching

Part 1: 54′ 50″

Listen to Two master pianists recalled – Rachmaninoff and Solomon
(with music examples at the piano)

Robert Threlfall (1918-2014), a pianist and an advisor to the  Delius Trust, studied under Solomon at the age of 18, and on many occasions saw Rachmaninoff, who was widely regarded as the greatest pianist of his age.  The first half of this talk provides a rare insight into these two musicians, in particular showing what a fine teacher Solomon was, taking endless pains over his pupils notwithstanding his own busy concert schedule.

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No 2: part of Finale	7’56”
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No 2: end of slow movement	10’30”
Bach: arrangement of Preludio from Partita No 3	15’58”
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No 4: extracts from two versions of the last movement and from the first movement	23’17” 24’27” 25’54”
Chopin Mazurka in C sharp minor Op 63 No 3: extract	34’42”
Talking on Solomon	36’56”
Czerny exercise ‘The passing under of the thumb’	44’09”
Leschetitsky Intermezzo: extract	46’25”
Scarlatti Sonata in F	52’11”

Part 2: 39′

Listen to The supplement to the Delius Collected Edition

After Beecham’s death Robert Threlfall was editor of the Delius Collected Edition, and in the second half of this talk he introduces some of Delius’s smaller and lesser-known early works.  They are:

Petite Suite (1889) – second movement: Berceuse Fourth movement: Duo	7’31” 10’21”
Petite Suite d’Orchestre (1890) – first movement: Allegro ma non troppo Third movement: Allegretto	16’09” 21’11”
Rhapsodic Variations (1888) – Theme Fourth variation Sixth variation	25’56” 26’58” 28’00”
Piano Concerto (1904) – slow movement (of three-movement version) Robert pointed out that this is all Delius, whereas one is never sure, with the final version, what is Delius and what is Szántó.	32’46”