[Cover graphic]

Compact Disc CDA66884

£13.99

The solo piano music of Percy Grainger comprises about ninety works, many of which are transcriptions of earlier orchestral or instrumental compositions. Grainger was an inveterate arranger and transcriber of music: of his own compositions, of folk-music from around the world, and of works by masters from Bach and Dowland to Fauré and Richard Strauss.
Despite his apparently loathing the piano, it being 'an affront to destroy a melodiously conceived idea by trying to fit it into the limitations of two hands and a box full of hammers and strings', the nineteen works in this recital capture all the humour, charm and sheer bravado of such 'dish-ups' as Handel in the Strand, Country Gardens and the rest.

Recorded in St George's, Brandon Hill, Bristol, on 8-10 January 1996
Recording Engineer
TONY FAULKNER
Recording Producer
ANDREW KEENER
Post-production Assistant
OLIVER RIVERS
Piano prepared by
PETER SALISBURY
Design
TERRY SHANNON
Executive Producers
JOANNA GAMBLE
NICK FLOWER
© Hyperion Records Ltd, London, MCMXCVI

Duration: 73'11
DDD
Front illustration by Roland Piper

Contents:

  1. Jutish Medley Danish Folk-Music Settings No 8 [8'08]
  2. Colonial Song Sentimentals No 1 [5'46]
  3. Molly on the Shore British Folk-Music Settings No 19 [3'14]
  4. Harvest Hymn [2'56]
  5. A Reel (Stanford, arr Grainger) Irish Dances No 4 [4'10]
  6. Spoon River American Folk-Music Settings No 1 [2'19]
  7. Country Gardens British Folk-Music Settings No 22 [1'48]
  8. Walking Tune Room-Music Tit-Bits No 3 [4'13]
  9. Mock Morris Room-Music Tit-Bits No 1 [3'09]
  10. Ramble on Love (from Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss) [6'43]
  11. Shepherd's Hey British Folk-Music Settings No 4 [2'00]
  12. Irish Tune from County Derry British-Folk Music Settings No 6 [3'26]
  13. Handel in the Strand Room-Music Tit-Bits No 2 [2'45]
  14. A March-Jig (Stanford, arr Grainger) Irish Dances No 1 [3'05]
  15. The Hunter in his Career Old-English Popular Music No 4 [2'19]
  16. Scotch Strathspey and Reel British Folk-Music Settings No 37 [4'38]
  17. 'The Gum-Suckers' March from In a Nutshell Suite [3'30]
  18. The Merry King British Folk-Music Settings No 38 [4'17]
  19. In Dahomey (Cakewalk Smasher) Rag [3'57]

GRAMOPHONE EDITOR'S CHOICE
DIAPASON D'OR

'The wizardry of Grainger's invention is never out of step with Hamelin's fingers - all 20 (or so it seems) of them. Try and keep your lower jaw in place as [he] negotiates Grainger's 'cakewalk smasher' In Dahomey' (The Independent)

'Hamelin's pleasure in this repertoire - challenging to the pianist, delightful to the listener - is manifest in every bar' (BBC Music Magazine)

'Ici l'interprète se doit de broyer l'ivoire, et l'étourdissante technique de Marc-André Hamelin s'y entend à merveille! Si l'on ajoute son extrême délicatesse de toucher, son phrasé lyrique et chaleureux trouvant d'instinct le chemin du coeur, on comprendra que ces prouesses pianistiques laissent pantois, ému au point que l'on ne sait plus très bien si l'on rit, mais on tout cas pris aux tripes' (Diapason, France)

'This hugely enjoyable recital is a distinguished addition to Hamelin's already remarkable discography' (Hi Fi News)

'Grainger demanda tanto una agilidad sorprendente como gran delicadeza en el fraseo, virtudes ambas que posee el solista canadiense' (CD Compact, Spain)

'One of the most brilliant and sensitive young pianists we have on the scene today. His technique is formidable: the more fiendishly difficult a piece is, the more spectacularly he plays it. Yet … what sets him apart as a pianist is his uncanny ability to melt your heart' (Fi, USA)

'Marc-André Hamelin's Grainger disc must stand as one of the best that could ever possibly be made. The powers Hamelin has at his disposal are endless. A colossal musician' (Soundscapes, Australia)

'Definitely a contender for piano record of the year' (San Francisco Examiner)

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