Percy Grainger - Piano Music (Marc-André Hamelin)

Information

Composer: Percy Grainger

1. Jutish Medley
2. Colonial Song
3. Molly on the Shore
4. Harvest Hymn
5. A Reel
6. Spoon River
7. Country Gardens
8. Walking Tune
9. Mock Morris
10. Ramble on Love
11. Shepherd's Hey
12. Irish Tune from County Derry
13. Handel in the Strand
14. A March-Jig
15. The Hunter in his Career
16. Scotch Strathspey and Reel
17. 'The Gum-Suckers' March
18. The Merry King
19. In Dahomey (Cakewalk Smasher)

Marc-André Hamelin, piano
Date: 1996
Label: Hyperion
https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA66884

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Review

Just when you think that you have heard all of Marc-Andre Hamelin’s very considerable interpretative and pianistic faculties, along he comes to surprise us yet again with something completely unexpected. Thus far we have had, among others, the heady and intoxicating delights of Sorabji (Altarus, 5/91) and Scriabin (Hyperion, 6/96), the towering and formidable edifices of Alkan (Music & Arts, 8/93 and Hyperion, 8/94, 3/95 and 12/95) and the challenging complexities of Ives (New World, 9/89). He now turns his hand to the piano music of Percy Grainger, and brings what is perhaps one of the most riveting and satisfying anthologies of this music to date. Yes, the catalogue does sport a number of very fine collections of the piano music (including Martin Jones’s excellent survey of the complete piano music on Nimbus, 4/90, 7/90, 10/90 and 2/91), but Hamelin’s superb control and artistry just about sweep the board if you’re looking for a disc that not only brings you all the old favourites but also explores some of the less familiar music such as Grainger’s arrangements of two of Stanford’s Irish Dances, the Cakewalk Smasher, In Dahomey or some of the less familiar folk music settings such as The Merry King – the latter a delightful discovery.

The deceptive ease with which Hamelin presents these pieces is quite breathtaking. The Irish tune from County Derry, for instance, contains some exacting problems which call on the pianist to play ppp in the outer fingers and mf with the middle in order to bring out the melody which Grainger places almost entirely in the middle register of the piano, and yet Hamelin makes it sound incredibly natural. His subtle control of melodic voicing can also be heard in, among others, the marvellous Scotch Strathspey and Reel and the Jutish Medley and in the gorgeous Ramble on themes from Richard Strauss’s “Der Rosenkavalier”, Hamelin’s mastery of the pedal (especially the seldom used middle pedal) is a real delight.

All the power, subtleties and nuances of Hamelin’s playing are faithfully and naturally captured in Tony Faulkner’s excellent recorded sound and Barry Peter Ould’s notes are most informative. All in all a very desirable Grainger anthology.

-- Michael Stewart, Gramophone

More reviews:
BBC Music Magazine  PERFORMANCE: ***** / SOUND: *****
https://www.amazon.com/Grainger-Piano-Music-Marc-Andre-Hamelin/dp/B000002ZY3

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Percy Grainger (8 July 1882 – 20 February 1961) was an Australian-born composer, arranger and pianist. In the course of a long and innovative career, he played a prominent role in the revival of interest in British folk music in the early years of the 20th century. He also made many adaptations of other composers' works. Despite his conservatory training, Grainger rebelled against the disciplines of the central European tradition, largely rejecting conventional forms such as symphony, sonata, concerto and opera. The piece with which he is most generally associated is his piano arrangement of the folk-dance tune "Country Gardens".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Grainger

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Marc-André Hamelin (born September 5, 1961 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian virtuoso pianist and composer. Hamelin is recognized worldwide for the originality and technical brilliance of his performances of the classic repertoire. He has made recordings of a wide variety of composers with the Hyperion label. He is well known for his attention to lesser-known composers especially of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and for performing works by pianist-composers. Hamelin has also composed several works, including a set of piano études in all of the minor keys.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc-Andr%C3%A9_Hamelin

http://www.marcandrehamelin.com/

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