Here's that Delius that I've promised to Buster. I've transferred from a London LP, one of those special "Coronation Releases" issued back in the early 50's; The cover art above is from the Decca issue. Buster's transfers of Delius are better then mine so be forewarned!
Anthony Collins had an interesting recording career. During a relatively short period of time, the late 40's through mid 50's, he was an extremely prolific recording artist. Among the highlights was his integral Sibelius symphony collection, one of the first, if not the first issued on vinyl. Sixten Ehrling recorded his set around the same time but I'm not sure which was released first. Both are well interpreted though the Stockholm PO and LSO were hardly the finest bands of their day.
This is very well done Delius. It is totally unsentimental and rather brisk if one compares to the greatest of Delians, Thomas Beecham. The LSO plays well, if not reaching the heights that they scaled during the late 60's and early 70's. The presentation overall makes the best possible case for the enigmatic Delius.
Anthony Collins was a good, though hardly exceptional, conductor. His work is no-nonsense and devoid of mannerisms of any kind. Its a pity that his recorded legacy has largely disappeared but that it probably due to the fact that is predominantly recorded in monaural sound.
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