Percy Grainger
The Best of Percy Grainger
ABC Classics 465818-2
Performers: Leslie Howard (piano) — Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Company, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
Conductors: John Hopkins, Geoffrey Simon
Duration: 70:27
To stumble upon a collection like The Best of Percy Grainger is to be reminded — quite insistently — of the composer’s restless, kaleidoscopic imagination. This ABC Classics release, spanning over seventy minutes, offers a vivid panorama of — Grainger’s folk-inspired lyricism and inventive orchestration, performed by stalwarts of the Australian orchestral scene. Leslie Howard’s piano contributions act as a magnetic anchor amid the orchestral swirls, particularly shining in the opening and closing iterations of “Country Gardens.”
It’s curious that Grainger, so idiosyncratic and influential, remains somewhat underrepresented in the recorded catalogue.
This disc corrects that neglect, with a program that is both complete and affectionate. The familiar folk tunes — “Mock Morris,” “Willow Willow,” “Irish Tune from County Derry” — surface here not as mere parlor pieces but as vessels for Grainger’s chromatic adventures, shorn of any cloying nostalgia. The “Irish Tune,” for example, resists sentimental overindulgence through Grainger’s characteristic harmonic inflections; those unexpected — modal shifts and chromatic side-steps keep the music alive and edgy, rather than demure or bland.
Leslie Howard’s touch is light but incisive. His control over tone colour in the piano introductions to “Country Gardens” offers a teasing contrast to the lush orchestral textures that follow. There’s a sardonic wit in the way he shapes the “Scotch Strathspey and Reel,” subtly highlighting the folk rhythms without ever tipping into caricature.
The orchestral forces — Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide symphonies under John Hopkins and Geoffrey Simon — respond in kind: their articulation is crisp, their dynamic range sensitively calibrated. The orchestration of “Mock Morris” is especially telling here; the percussion and — well — woodwinds mingle with a transparency that feels both earthy and elegant. One cannot pass over the inclusion of Peter Sculthorpe’s orchestration of “Exquisite Fresh Flower.” It’s a fascinating, almost spectral moment in the programme — tender, impressionistic, and a clever nod to Grainger’s influence beyond Australia.
The transition from this ethereal piece to the forthright, almost brash “Gum-Sucker’s March” is a masterstroke of programming, jolting the listener from reverie back to something rugged and elemental. Such juxtapositions underscore the eclecticism at the heart of Grainger’s oeuvre. Among the less familiar works, “Spoon River” and “The Nightingale and the Two Sisters” reveal; Grainger’s knack for narrative through music — a storytelling gift that has perhaps been underestimated.
The orchestral palette here is richly varied, with textures that shift fluidly, evoking images and moods rather than rigid structures. I must confess, there are moments when the pace lingers a tad too long, especially in the slower movements — an occasional indulgence in lushness that perhaps mirrors Grainger’s own fondness for expansive, almost luxuriant soundscapes. Yet these are minor quibbles in a disc that otherwise offers richly layered performances devoid of routine.
Jonathan Woolf’s liner notes deserve a mention. They’re concise but illuminating, weaving biographical detail with insightful analysis without ever sounding like a musicology lecture. They deepen the listening experience, inviting repeated visits.
In sum, this recording captures the spirit of Grainger — inventive, earthy, and unabashedly heartfelt —; with a clarity and warmth that justify its place in any serious library of twentieth-century music. Leslie Howard and the Australian symphonies, under the assured hands of Hopkins and Simon, deliver performances bristling with life and subtlety. If you’re after the essence of Grainger, here it is: unpretentious, vibrant, and occasionally surprisingly modern.
The warm acoustics of the concert hall seem to breathe through the release.
A welcome and overdue celebration, this disc deserves a wide audience.
