If it can't be Beecham, it should be Anthony Collins; if it can't be Anthony Collins, it should be Barbirolli. If you tend to think along these lines where Delius is concerned, then perhaps it should be this record. For not only do Barbirolli and his orchestra handle the music most sensitively, whether in Appalachia or in Brigg Fair, but they are recorded in round, rich quality, probably more so than this music has ever received elsewhere.
The vocal contribution (to Appalachia) is not quite so immediately convincing, however, as the instrumental. The baritone sings his short contribution like an important concert soloist (volkstumlich—exactly the opposite—wrote Delius; he added that the soloist must be placed in the chorus, not beside only a fair imitation of a chorus of negro slaves, which is perhaps reasonable enough. But who will be the first to be brave and give us a record of Appalachia without white imitations; instead with a virile black chorus, and a member of that chorus singing the short solo (as Delius intended) from his normal place of work and not spotlit like Elijah?
Nevertheless, while waiting do not overlook this record: it is a very good one.'