Credits:

Stefan Sanderling

Description:

While Delius (18621934) celebrated both the British and German spirits in *The Mass of Life*, this piece, *Appalachia*, reflects the rich experiences he had during his youth in Florida. Delius, who traveled to the United States in the 1880s claiming he would grow oranges, encountered the work songs of Black people there and composed Appalachia after returning home. The resulting music is a mysterious and delicate blend of his unique nature worshipinspired by W. Whitmanand the warm, familiar atmosphere of America. It is music brimming with nostalgia, reminiscent of Dvoks works, in which one can sense American culture viewed strictly through British eyes. Ocean Currents is a piece based on the poem From the Cradle from Whitmans poetry collection *Leaves of Grass*. It depicts the story of a boy who projects his own feelings onto a pair of seagulls, at times with intensity and at other times w