Percy Grainger

Review: Contents: Willow, Willow - The Twa Corbies - Died for Love - Six Dukes Went Afishin - The Spring Of Thyme - The Pretty Maid Milkin' Her Cow - British Waterslide (Or The Jolly Sailor) - Early One Morning - Lord Maxwell's Goodnight - Bold William Taylor - Hard Hearted Barb'ra (H)Ellen - Creeping Jane - The Pow'r of Love.

Songlist: Early One Morning, The Willow Song, Twa Corbies, The (Scottish), Died For Love, Six Dukes Went Afishin'(British), Sprig Of Thyme, The (British), Pretty Maid Milkin' Cow(British), British Waterside (Jolly Sailor), Lord Maxwell's Goodnight (Scot), Bold William Taylor (British), Hard Hearted Barb'ra (H)ellen, Creeping Jane (English), Power Of Love, The (Danish)

10049b | Songbook $19.95 | Solo

Review: The pairing of music by Percy Grainger and Edvard Grieg at first may seem odd. In fact, though, the two composers were good friends. Grieg lauded Grainger's folk song settings as helping to create "an independent English music." The choral music of Grainger and Grieg on this CD, sung gloriously by Polyphony, was written in the early 1900's. Most of Grainger's settings are of English folk songs, though there are a few Irish and Scotch ones as well. The CD also includes a song from Grainger's native Australia (Track 18 Australian Up-Country Song). The Four Psalms by Grieg are his last completed works and are based on Norwegian church melodies. To further connect the composers, the English translations of the psalms were written by Grainger. This wonderful recording also features soloists tenor Paul Agnew and baritone David Wilson-Johnson.

Songlist: Percy Grainger:, Irish Tune from County Derry, Dollar and a Half a Day, Shenandoah, Stormy, The Gypsy's Wedding Day, Brigg Fair, Mo nighean dubh, O Mistress Mine, Edvard Grieg, Four Psalms, How Fair is Thy face, God's Son hath set me free, Jesus Christ our Lord is risen, In heav'n above, Ave, Maris Stella, Percy Grainger, Soldier, soldier, Mary Thomson, Ye banks and braes, Dalvisa, Australian Up-Country Song, Near Woodstock Town, The Sussex Mummers' Carol, A Song of Varmeland, At Twilight

7157c | 1 CD $12.98 English Choral CDs

Review: This reissue commemorates the 50th anniversary of Grainger's death in February 1961. Harmonium, four guitars, two mandolas, two mandolins, two ukuleles, piccolo, three clarinets, bass clarinet, bassoon, contrabassoon, two alto saxophones, horn, strings, piano, baritone and choir: and that's just the scoring for one piece, the famous sea shanty Shallow Brown. Grainger's Jungle Book cycle is here recorded for the first time. The eleven contrasting movements vividly portray the sentiments of Kipling's poetry and Grainger wrote of the cycle that it was 'composed as a protest against civilization'.

Songlist: Shallow Brown, The fall of the stone, Morning song in the jungle, Night-song in the jungle, The Inuit, The beaches of Lukannon, Red Dog, The peora hunt, Hunting-song of the Seeonee pack, Tiger! Tiger!, The only son, Good-bye to love, Died for love, The power of love, The Rival Brothers, Six dukes went afishin', The sprig of thyme, Willow, willow, Recessional, Lord Maxwell's goodnight, The Three Ravens, The running of shindand, The love song of Har Dyal, My love's in Germanie

6127c | 1 CD $11.95 English Choral CDs