Australian Percy Grainger was clearly a cracked genius. His life (he lived until 1961) was packed with his achievements as well as his many idiosyncrasies. (So much so that it is portrayed in a 1999 film, Passion.) Among other things, Grainger anticipated many forms of 20th century music well before other composers. These included Free Music – music without specific pitches, using glissandos instead – chance music, and even creating “unplayable” music via piano rolls – as Conlon Nancarrow did 20 years later. He travelled around Britain recording original folk songs on a cylinder phonograph as did Kodaly and Bartok in Hungary, and he later built some of the world’s first synthesizers – one called the “Kangaroo-Pouch Tone Tool.” He was a fine pianist and cut many piano rolls, in spite of having lost the tip of a finger working on a bicycle. He designed his own clothing made from towels and liked to run thru the streets to his concerts, bounding on the stage at the last minute, because he preferred being in a thoroughly exhausted state when performing.
The Graingerism that applies most closely to this new CD was his love of band instruments and his work establishing the sound of today’s concert band, as opposed to the typical military band. He became a U.S. Army Bandsman in 1917, a year before he became a U.S. citizen. He loved the reeds and saxes – especially the soprano sax, and used the whole sax family whenever he could. He also expanded what he called the “tuneful percussion” section. His wind band scores were the first to include both the piano and harp.
The music performed here comes mostly from the composer’s British folk music settings and what he called his “Room-Music Tidbits.” Grainger’s original orchestrations were meticulously reconstructed for this recording to preserve their brilliant colors. Some of the percussion instruments are not even manufactured or used anymore, and Junkin’s percussionists had to turn to eBay to obtain and restore one of them. All of the pieces sparkle and captivate much more than ordinary marching band numbers. The notes on each one add interest as you listen. One of Grainger’s many oddities was hating all Italian musical designations, so for example, he instructs that his Mock Morris Dance be played “at fast jog-trotting speed.” Sonics are excellent, especially if your player or receiver/preamp has HDCD decoding. This audiophile gem will probably also be offered eventually in the label’s specialized new hi-res 176K HRx format.
– John Sunier
