Search - Percy Grainger, Richard Hickox, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra :: Percy Grainger Edition, Vol. 1: Orchestral Works

The Beginning...

Matthew Elias | CA | 07/29/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This Disc is the first of the Grainger Edition but it's not really a good place to start if you've never heard Grainger before, mainly because there aren't many "fripperies" on here, only Shepherd's Hey! If you're looking for an intro to Grainger I'd go with GE Vol. 4 Works for Wind Orchestra, GE Vol. 13 Works for Chamber Ensemble, or GE vol. 17 Works for Solo Piano 2. That said this disc is great, opening with the haunting but powerful Duke of Marlborough and In a Nutshell Suite which must be Grainger trying to summarize his musical tastes in a way. Harvest Hymn and Blithe Bells are beautiful pieces in these large Orchestra versions, both with sweet Trumpet solos and Green Bushes is always fun. I was really and pleasantly surprised by There were Three Friends, Fisher's Boarding House, and We were Dreamers. These pieces are hard to describe because they are subtle but they have a peacefull quality to them. This disc is real quality."

Not the best starting point for Grainger

B. Marold | Bethlehem, PA United States | 01/18/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This collection of Percy Grainger's 'Orchestral Works' does not include those things for which Grainger is best known. And, it does not include those things of which I am most fond, which are mostly his choral and solo voice works. But then, I may not have gotten to listen to this very nice material. Like all of Grainger's work, this is far more accurately described as nice or pretty than 'beautiful' or 'sublime'. But it has its moments, and there are phrases here and there which really make me stop and take notice. So, it's good to give this a listen before you move on to 'Danny Boy' and the like."