‘Sleigh Ride, a piano piece buried for many years which finally surfaced in the composer’s orchestration in 1946, is a jolly little piece, not at all Delian in style, and by rights should have been a hit from the start. The Five Songs from the Norwegian are charming, the more seductive in Bo Holten’s sensitive orchestrations, with Henriette Bond-Hansen the delightfully fresh, pure-toned soprano. Eventyr, inspired by the folk takes of Christen Asbjornsen, was written much later, but the most ambitious Delius work inspired by Norway is The Song of the High Hills. Over its 25-minute span, it offers some of the most hauntingly atmospheric music that Delius ever wrote, notably in the passages for wordless choir. Holten conducts a beautiful, refined performance, which keeps the music moving, never letting it meander, building to powerful climaxes and thrillingly recorded with a fine feeling for atmosphere.’

Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music

Delius: Eventyr; Sleigh Ride; Song of the High Hills; Five Songs from the Norwegian

Performed by Høyer Hansen, Bonde-Hansen, Aarhus Chamber Choir, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Holten

‘Sleigh Ride, a piano piece buried for many years, which finally surfaced in the composer’s orchestration in 1946, is a jolly little piece, not at all Delian in style, and by rights should have been a hit from the start. The Five Songs from the Norwegian are charming, the more seductive in Bo Holten’s sensitive orchestrations, with Henriette Bonde-Hansen the delightfully fresh, pure-toned soprano. Eventyr, inspired by the folk takes of Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, was written much later, but the most ambitious Delius work inspired by Norway is The Song of the High Hills. Over its twenty-five-minute span, it offers some of the most hauntingly atmospheric music that Delius ever wrote, notably in the passages for wordless choir. Holten conducts a beautiful, refined performance, which keeps the music moving, never letting it meander, building to powerful climaxes and thrillingly recorded with a fine feeling for atmosphere.’

Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music