1906 · Berlin
by DELIUS, Frederick 1862-1934
Berlin: Harmonie [PN 168], 1906. Folio. Original publisher's ivory wrappers printed in dark red. 1f. (recto title, verso notice regarding performing rights), 3-39, [i] (blank) pp. Text in German and English.
Wrappers slightly worn; spine frayed, reinforced with clear tape. Minor internal wear.
Signature of E. A. Sharp in pencil to upper wrapper; occasional markings in pencil within score. First Edition,of the piano-vocal score, issue with English text only to upper wrapper. Published in the same year as the full score. Threlfall II/3, p. 60
First performed on 24 May 1906 in Essen at the Tonkünstlerfest of the Allgemeine Deutsche Musikverein.
"... Sea Drift (1903–4) for baritone, chorus and orchestra, is considered by many to be [Delius's] greatest achievement; its success at its first performance in Essen firmly established Delius on the Continent. Whitman’s treatment of a boy’s sorrow at a seabird’s loss of its mate is matched by Delius with profound insight. The work’s formal structure partly follows that of the text, but its expressive power transcends the poem. There is a seamless flow between the choral commentaries and the baritone narrator’s recitatives. ... Traditional devices of development and recapitulation are largely missing: Delius presents a stream of spiritual experience with a flow of chromatic harmony whose intensity is never broken, and variety of colour and pace is achieved almost imperceptibly, yet with utmost directness." Robert Anderson, Anthony Payne, and Lionel Carley in Grove Music Online. (Inventory #: 40858)
Wrappers slightly worn; spine frayed, reinforced with clear tape. Minor internal wear.
Signature of E. A. Sharp in pencil to upper wrapper; occasional markings in pencil within score. First Edition,of the piano-vocal score, issue with English text only to upper wrapper. Published in the same year as the full score. Threlfall II/3, p. 60
First performed on 24 May 1906 in Essen at the Tonkünstlerfest of the Allgemeine Deutsche Musikverein.
"... Sea Drift (1903–4) for baritone, chorus and orchestra, is considered by many to be [Delius's] greatest achievement; its success at its first performance in Essen firmly established Delius on the Continent. Whitman’s treatment of a boy’s sorrow at a seabird’s loss of its mate is matched by Delius with profound insight. The work’s formal structure partly follows that of the text, but its expressive power transcends the poem. There is a seamless flow between the choral commentaries and the baritone narrator’s recitatives. ... Traditional devices of development and recapitulation are largely missing: Delius presents a stream of spiritual experience with a flow of chromatic harmony whose intensity is never broken, and variety of colour and pace is achieved almost imperceptibly, yet with utmost directness." Robert Anderson, Anthony Payne, and Lionel Carley in Grove Music Online. (Inventory #: 40858)
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