Classical Gas July 11th 2021

In this episode of Classical Gas, we’ll listen to the lovely Florida Suite of Frederick Delius, which has in the first movement, "Daybreak", a version of that wonderful tune known as "La Calinda", which Delius later used in his opera “Koanga.” It is one of his most popular and is perhaps his loveliest compositions and certainly one of the finest melodies ever written. We’ll have another of Haydn’s “Sun” Quartets – this time No. 4, the one that has a Siciliano for a slow movement - played by the Hagen Quartet.  The distinguished baritone Giles Davies with Stephen Devine, at the piano, will sing seven songs of Peter Warlock - As ever I saw, Take those lips away, Milkmaids (with its humorous Nonny Nos), The distracted maid, and two great drinking songs - the rollicking “Captain Stratton’s Fancy” and “Good Ale" (something Peter Warlock was always searching for).  The programme finishes with a splendid performance of Antonin Dvorak’s Symphony No. 5, played by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Witold Rowiski. Dvorak composed it in the summer months, June and July, 1875. The opus number is actually incorrect! The autograph was marked with opus number 24, but the publisher Simrock (ignoring the composer's wishes) gave this symphony the higher opus number of 76 - in order to sell it as a new work! The symphony was first performed four years after it was written, on March 25, 1879 at the Slav Concert of the Academic Readers' Association in the Prague Žofín Concert Hall, conducted by Adolf Čech. Brahms admired this work and, because of some similarities between this and his Symphony No. 3, it has been said that Dvorak was influenced by Brahms. But since Brahms wrote his Symphony No. 3 eight years later, and may have had a hand written score of the Dvorak, the opposite may very well be true. Brahms scholars may argue but it's up for debate.