[1] Delius was inspired to compose the Double Concerto after attending a December 1914 performance of the Hallé Orchestra under conductor Thomas Beecham in Manchester.
[1] The piece was completed in June 1915 during a relatively dry creative period for Delius (the only other composition he'd finished in a year's time was Air and Dance for string orchestra).
"[3] Anthony Burton of BBC Music Magazine similarly opined, "Unusually for [Delius], they have no acknowledged starting point in narrative or landscape: their lyrical flow seems to stem rather from the very nature of the solo instruments.
But all three round off their coherent single-movement forms with codas suffused by Delius’s characteristic sunset glow of nostalgia.
"[4] Music critic Michael Cookson said of the piece, "The double concerto displays much of the composer’s individuality, comprising many differing melodic ideas presented in a rather agitated manner, yet the work has an appealing robustness and remains one of my favourite Delius works.