Essential Grainger
Percy Grainger (1892–1961), Australian composer and noted eccentric, is most famous for 'Country Gardens', his transcription of an English folksong, with its frolicking rustic lilt. But Grainger was much more than a collector of folksongs. A friend to Grieg (who praised Grainger’s interpretation of his piano concerto), Delius, Gershwin and Duke Ellington, Grainger was celebrated in his lifetime as a composer and one of the most gifted pianists of his generation (he was taught by Ferruccio Busoni). His transcriptions of Dowland, Gershwin's songs, Bach chorales, Strauss and Rachmaninoff are virtuosic and beautiful contributions to the repertoire, and a testament to his pianistic wizardry.
Read more…Most of his works are miniatures, and often feature unusual instruments such as the theremin or banjo. He experimented with flexible rhythms, improvisations, tuned percussion, influences from jazz and world music, microtones and chance processes and even electronics before John Cage was even born. He also eschewed traditional Italian musical terms, preferring his own such as "louden lots" for crescendo, and coined new tempo markings like "clingingly" or "hammeringly". He rejected his German conservatoire training and disdained classical form, so you won't find any symphonies or sonatas amongst his oeuvre. But what you will find are free-form instrumental fantasies, deeply evocative choral settings, and improvisatory "rambles". His music is overflowingly romantic, rich in ingenious, idiosyncratically lush harmonies, pungent dissonances and perfumed resolutions, ardent long-spun melodies and impractical yet elegant rhythms. Too often regarded as a composer of "light music", perhaps because of his fondness for folksongs, but the selection here shows his music at its most elevated and sophisticated, always engaging and accessible, with a delightful dash of wit.
[Due to geo-blocking restrictions, some tracks might be unavailable in certain territories.]