FREDERICK DELIUS (1862-1934): Poem of Life and Love, A Village Romeo and Juliet Suite (arr. David Matthews [b.1943]), Life's Dance, Irmelin Suite (arr. Thomas Beecham [1879-1961]).

Description: Delius completists will want this for the World Premiere Recording of Poem of Life and Love, a 17-minute work from 1918 which, although complete, the composer kept revising and eventually used its middle section for the tone poem A Song of Summer. It was published in 1997 and, before this recording, performed exactly once. Matthews was commissioned by Carl Davis in 1987 to do a suite from A Village Romeo and Juliet and, for this recording, since A Walk to the Paradise Garden is so well-known now, removed it and substituted the poignant and magical final pages of the opera. Royal Scottish National Orchestra; David Lloyd-Jones.