Frederick Delius (1862-1934)
Eine Messe des Lebens (A Mass of Life) RT II/4 (1899-1905)
Roderick Williams (baritone – Zarathustra), Gemma Summerfield (soprano), Claudia Huckle (contralto), Bror Magnus Tødenes (tenor)
Bergen Philharmonic Choir, Edvard Grieg Kor, Collegium Musicum Choir
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra/ Sir Mark Elder
rec. 2022, Grieghallen, Bergen, Norway
LAWO Classics LWC1265 [2 CDs: 94]

‘For me, Delius’s music is particularly beautiful’ Sir Mark Elder.

Lawo Classics presents this new recording of Frederick Delius’s large scale, secular choral work Eine Messe des Lebens (A Mass of Life) sung in German. This rarely performed work is given an outstanding performance by Sir Mark Elder with his Bergen forces; they present it in the best possible light. 

Delius first encountered Friedrich Nietzsche’s writings while in Norway and became a devoted advocate. He was particularly inspired by the German philosopher’s prose poem Also sprach Zarathustra, a major literary work published in four volumes between 1883-85.

In 1904, Delius was aided in his setting of Nietzsche’s text by German conductor Fritz Cassirer’s selection of passages and he completed A Mass of Life in the following year, when he was at the peak of his compositional powers. It is in two parts and scored for SATB soloists, double chorus, and orchestra. Delius’ champion, Sir Thomas Beecham, conducted the premiere in 1909 in the Queen’s Hall, London. 

Delius was not religious; his amanuensis Eric Fenby wrote that ‘at heart he was a pagan’ and ‘had no faith in God’. Music writer Donal Henahan writes that A Mass of Life is ‘not a mass in any traditional sense’ and the Guardian newspaper described it as a ‘humanist cantata’. It was highly praised by Sir Thomas Beecham who labelled the score a ‘monumental masterpiece’, while Sir Mark Elder hails it as Delius’ ‘magnum opus’. Most effusive of all was the praise from biographer Peter Warlock (aka Philip Hesletine) who wrote that it was ‘without doubt the greatest musical achievement since Wagner, a mass worthy to rank beside the great mass of J.S. Bach’.

Clearly the score divides opinion. Nietzsche’s beliefs are unpalatable to some, especially his notions of traditional values and morality. It is an intense work that I regard as a celebration in music – a journey through life. A masterwork? In all honesty, I cannot regard it as such and I doubt whether a work may be described as a masterwork when it is so seldom performed. Moreover, A Mass of Life is not without its longueurs. Generally, I find Nietzsche’s texts difficult to connect with. Delius was in my opinion a master of the shorter work, including Sea Drift, In a Summer Garden, Brigg Fair, Walk to the Paradise Garden, On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, Summer Night on the River to name just a few, and at some 90 minutes A Mass of Life is a work of considerable length and vast scoring. Rather than struggle with trying to deal with the work as a whole, I tend to treat each of its twelve sections as stand-alone tone poems, although they have comparable sound worlds. The near-relentless stream of Delius’ soft-toned, pastoral colours is short on variety and can become wearing – an outcome spared only by the grand climaxes, which sound magnificent. 

Elder is indefatigable in his championing of Delius. Shaping the music beautifully, his choice of pace, phrasing and management of dynamic seems ideal. Also impressive is his inherent feeling for orchestral colour, making him an ideal guide in Delius’ music. The solo passages played by the various section principals of the Bergen Philharmonic are notable, especially those by the horn. 

Elder’s quartet of soloists are well-chosen and baritone Roderick Williams is outstanding in the part of Zarathustra. Vital, although not as substantial, the three remaining parts are successfully and sincerely sung. Elder hold the large orchestra and combined forces of the Bergen Philharmonic Choir, the Edvard Grieg Kor and Collegium Musicum Choir together securely; they are firm and focused, have clearly been expertly drilled under Håkon Matti Skrede. The recorded sound is very satisfactory. The accompanying booklet provides full German texts with English translations and includes a helpful essay, ‘Ore in the furnace’,  by music writer Andrew Mellor. 

A Mass of Life has been recorded several times, including admired accounts from Sir Thomas Beecham on Sony (orig. Columbia. Recorded 1952-53) and Sir Charles Groves (orig. Angel/EMI. Recorded 1972). Rather mixed reactions greeted the 1996 recording from conductor Richard Hickox, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Chorus plus the Waynflete Singers on Chandos (c/w Delius Requiem). From 2011, David Hill conducts a commended recording, that features the same Bournemouth forces plus The Bach Choir on Naxos, c/w Delius Prelude and Idyll (review). My first choice is with this new Lawo account. 

Michael Cookson

Previous reviews: Nick Barnard (January 2024) ~ John Quinn (March 2024)

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