Search - Stephen Varcoe, Percy Grainger, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields :: Grainger: Works for Chamber Ensemble 2

Though Australian, more than any figure in English music Percy Grainger consistently blurred the bounds between folk-music arrangements and original composition. Two arrangements of Danish folk songs on this disc, "The Nightingale" and "The Two Sisters," have never been recorded before, while 13 others of the 23 pieces are, in these versions, premiere recordings. An essential issue for Grainger collectors, the music has broad appeal, conveying a direct emotional intimacy in such pieces as the solo piano version of "The Power of Love," a tune that, Grainger noted, "matched my soul-seared mood" after his mother's death. "Molly on the Shore" is among Grainger's best-known folksong arrangements, though not so many will know this vibrantly performed string quartet version. The Lincolnshire song "Died for Love" is given a poignant reading by Della Jones, who also has fun duetting with Stephen Varcoe on "Hubby and Wifey." Elsewhere, Martyn Hill brings the pure melancholy that distinguishes his Finzi songs to "Willow Willow." Impeccably produced and annotated, this diverse anthology is another Chandos triumph. --Gary S. Dalkin