Village Romeo & Juliet - A film by Peter Weigl (2003)

"A Village Romeo and Juliet is generally regarded as the best of Deliuss six operas (although Delius termed this work a lyric drama in six scenes). It was composed in 1900-01 and first produced in Berlin in 1907, reaching London, with Beecham conducting, three years later. Deliuss score is haunting and lyrical. It requires a large orchestra which Delius uses sparingly and tellingly to magical effect. A significant proportion of the work is purely orchestral much more than in a conventional operatic production. Nature is a major influence, so too is a theme which increasingly obsessed Delius the transience of life and love. The medium of film freed the work from the constraints of the opera house to allow maximum freedom of expression in natural outdoor surroundings. This new DVD incarnation of the 1990 opera movie offers enhanced pictures and sound (5.1 Surround and Stereo) scene selection and subtitles in 5 languages." (Ian Lace, Musicweb International; volg aangegeven link voor complete tekst)