Benjamin Britten / Steuart Bedford / John Eliot Gardiner

Salute To Percy Grainger (2CD)

A composer with an extraordinary ear for sonority, original in his outlook, sometimes misunderstood, now revered, Percy Grainger is one of Australia’s most unique sons, and, in the words of Sir Peter Pears, one of its “most independent and single-minded spirits”. Many of these recordings, of vocal and chamber orchestra pieces, were made by Decca in 1968 and 1972 and issued, together with a 1927 recording of Grainger playing his "Country Gardens" and of Peter Pears and Osian Ellis performing "Six Dukes wenta-fishin’" in two volumes, with the title Salute to Percy Grainger. The title is retained for this anthology and to it is added Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s Deutsche Grammophon recording of "The Warriors," presenting nearly two hours of some of Grainger’s finest utterances in some of their earliest (and best) performances to be captured on record. Ten of these items [CD2: 1-10] make their first appearance on CD.

TRACK LIST

PERCY GRAINGER CD 1 1. Shepherd’s Hey 2. Willow Willow 3. I’m seventeen come Sunday 4. Bold William Taylor 5. There was a pig went out to dig 6. My Robin is to green wood gone 7. Lord Maxwell’s goodnight 8. The ‘Duke of Marlborough’ fanfare 9. Let’s dance gay in green meadow 10. Scotch Strathspey and Reel 11. Two songs: The pretty maid milkin’ her cow ∙ The sprig of thyme 12. Lisbon 13. The Lost lady found 14. Shallow Brown 15. Molly on the shore 16. Shenandoah 17. Danny Boy 18. Brigg Fair 19. Green bushes CD 2 1. Under a bridge 2. Dollar and a half a day 3. The merry king 4. Six Dukes went a-fishin’ 5. Stormy 6. The three ravens 7. Died for love 8. Country gardens 9. The power of love 10. The hunter in his career Peter Pears, tenor Anna Reynolds, mezzo-soprano John Shirley Quirk, baritone Ambrosian Singers Wandsworth Boys Choir Linden Singers Benjamin Britten, Steuart Bedford, conductors 11. The Warriors Philharmonia Orchestra / John Eliot Gardiner