Performing Arts: Opera

Delius and A Village Romeo and Juliet

Fritz Theodor Albert Delius (1862-1934) was born in Yorkshire, England, the son of a wool merchant who encouraged his son's piano and violin playing, but only as a hobby. For three years, Delius worked for his father as a sales representative for wool. But Delius's penchant for music grew stronger and stronger, much to the chagrin of his father, and so he was sent to look over his father's orange plantation in Florida in the United States. It was here, along the St. John's River, where Delius fully explored his musical abilities, heavily inspired by nature and the vocal improvisations of black slaves.

Delius soon became friends with Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, who helped convince Delius's father to allow his son to attend the Leipzig Conservatorium in 1886. Grieg made a lasting impression on Delius, even influencing his music. The style of Delius's music was a combination of romanticism and impressionism. When his studies were over, Delius spent 10 years in Paris, then married artist Jelka Rosen, moved outside of the city, and composed a substantial body of work. In 1902, he changed his name to Frederick, a more Anglican name.

Aside from a hiatus resulting from World War I, Delius was a prolific composer, with several tone poems, songs, and operas; numerous violin, cello, and piano concerti and sonatas; a Mass and Requiem; and two string quartets under his belt. But Delius had contracted syphilis and when the debilitating disease caused his blindness and paralysis in the 1920's, he could only complete works with the aid of Eric Fenby. He died in 1934.

One of Delius's more famous works was his 6-scene opera A Village Romeo and Juliet, a tragedy about lovers from feuding families set in the pastures of the Swiss Alps. Based on a novel by Gottfried Keller, the opera was completed in 1901. It premiered in 1907 at Komische Oper in Berlin, and three years later, when Thomas Beecham became the creative manager of Covent Garden in England, he promptly included Delius's opera in his first season there. Beecham became the greatest champion of Delius's music, conducting several of his works and bringing his name into the eyes and ears of the public. Beecham proved to be correct in his judgment, as works such as the memorable orchestral interlude "The Walk to the Paradise Garden," depicting Romeo and Juliet's walk to a village inn, is well-known to music lovers worldwide.