"SONG OF SUMMER" is the unforgettable story of the aging composer
Frederick
Delius who, blind and paralyzed, was enabled to create his last great
musical
works through the determined assistance of young Eric
Fenby.
Delius and Fenby agonizingly forged a method whereby each note of music
and its instrumentation was dictated and written; the result was
beautiful,
flowing, masterful
MUSIC.
Read Eric Fenby's recollections of Delius
and
the making of the "SONG OF SUMMER" film.
Read David Tall's review of the British
Film Institute DVD release
NOTE: "Song of Summer" was released in the USA in 2008 as part
of the "Ken Russell at the BBC" DVD box set (view the Amazon.com entry here)
The sound clips are in RealAudio 3.0 format. You must have the
free RealAudio Player (Version 3.0) to
hear
these files.
1. Theatre Organ Piece by Eric Fenby (1:15) 1organ.ra
As a young man in Scarborough, Fenby held a job as organist at the Futurist Cinema, playing accompaniments for the silent films ("mostly Laurel and Hardys").
2. Fenby writes to Delius, offering his
help (2:35) 2fenwrit.ra
3. Delius' first dictation to
Fenby:
"ter, ter-ter...." (1:49) 3ter-ter.ra
4. Fenby plays through "Poem of Life and
Love" for Delius (2:09)
4poem.ra
5. Delius reminisces about his
experiences
in Florida (2:35) 5florida.ra
6. Delius on Nature
(0:23)
6nature.ra
7. Delius and Fenby work on "Song of
Summer"
(2:07) 7summer.ra
8. Delius and Fenby begin work on "Songs
of Farewell" (2:22) 8farewel.ra