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35 - Music, Drama, Dance and Performing Arts
Oxford Brookes University
In Schönheit sterben Frederick Delius' "A Village Romeo and Juliet"
German. Delius’ fourth opera, A Village Romeo and Juliet, written around 1900 and based on Gottfried Keller’s eponymous novella, is his most successful dramatic work and marks the breakthrough to his mature musical style. The first part of the chapter traces the genesis of the opera, its early performance history in Berlin and London and its reception. Although the music was widely praised, many critics found the “lyrical drama” lacking in dramatic verve. The second part of the chapter addresses this issue from various angles, including Wagner’s influence and Delius’s position within contemporary operatic production of the fin de siècle.