Songs of Sunset is a work by Frederick Delius, written in 1906–07, and scored for mezzo-soprano and baritone soli, SATB chorus and large orchestra.
[1] The work was first performed at the Queen's Hall in London on 16 June 1911 at an all-Delius concert in the presence of the composer, conducted by his great champion Thomas Beecham.
[3] Songs of Sunset was dedicated to the Elberfeld Choral Society,[1] whose chief conductor Hans Haym was one of Delius's greatest supporters in Germany.
The work consists of eight poems by Ernest Dowson: A setting for voice and piano of "Vitae summa", written in Jelka Rosen's hand, was found in Delius's papers after his death; it may have been his first thoughts about the music.
[4] Delius had originally also set Dowson's poem "Non sum qualis eram bonae sub Regno Cynarae" for baritone solo and orchestra, as part of the score, but abandoned it as not fitting well with the overall scheme.