Hiawatha, tone poem for orchestra & other rare works

"This collection of less familiar works would be a must-have for Delius fans. Three of the five works receive here their recording premieres. Hiawatha - based on Longfellow's well-known poem - was the second orchestral work the composer created after returning to Leipzig following a two-year stay in Florida (the Florida Suite was the first). Delius wrote these works before Richard Strauss started on his famous series of tone poems. Hiawatha begins with the sounds of nature and main themes for Hiawatha and Minnehaha. There is a depiction of their wedding feast and possibly of their happy life together.
The violin-orchestral suite of 1888 has to programmatic connotations. It is an abstract four-movement piece consisting of a pastorale, intermezzo, elegie and finale. The influence of Grieg may be heard early in the work, and of Mendelssohn towards the conclusion. The short Legende dates from 1895, and though both it and the suite have been recorded before, Graffin's violin solos are superb and the pieces most enjoyable.
The Double Concerto of 1915 - heard here for the first time on recordings - was inspired by Brahms' similar work, although Delius was said to have generally disliked Brahms' music. The work was especially designed for two sister performers to play. The concerto has three movements and follows a Lisztian design. The central slow movement boasts a lovely melody, and the concerto has a massive climax near its poetic conclusion. The notes report that the recording venue for this entire disc (as well as the town of Dutton's own headquarters) happened to be the acoustically-acclaimed Watford Town Hall, which is located less than a mile from where Delius wrote the Double Concerto."
(Five Stars AudAud.com)

Dutton Epoch's pioneering issue of unrecorded Delius conducted by David Lloyd-Jones includes Delius's early tone poem Hiawatha in Robert Threlfall's performing version. It proves to be a considerable find, the link between Florida and Paris winningly played by the BBC Concert Orchestra in their world premiere recording. It comes in a programme of concertos brilliantly performed by violinist Philippe Graffin and Sarah-Jane Bradley (viola). The principal work is the eloquent Lionel Tertis arrangement for violin and viola of the Double Concerto, in a world premiere recording that was recorded (Watford Town Hall) less than a mile from where it was written. Delius's early Suite for violin and orchestra and the Legénde for violin and orchestra here receive only their second recordings, and are brilliantly projected by Philippe Graffin. The programme is rounded off by Sarah-Jane Bradley's cherishable reading of the viola version of the Caprice and Elegy. It all adds up to an unmissable and unique survey.