Delius: Sea Drift; Songs of Farewell; Songs of Sunset
These are choral works from Delius's mature period and tend to dwell on  the more fleeting aspects of life.Sea Drift(1904) is for baritone and  orchestra and is set to the Walt Whitman poem of the same name.Songs of  Farewell(1929-30) were written in Delius's last years when he was blind and  crippled; however, there aren't any elements of pity to be found in these  beautiful songs for double chorus and orchestra. More characteristic of Delius's  true flowering are theSongs of Sunset(1906-7), also based on the poems  of Walt Whitman. Both the recording and the performances are stellar.--Paul  Cook