IDAGIO | Grainger: Piano Music - Country Gardens, Shepherd's Hey; Cake-Walk Smasher etc. 00602448799845

Featuring

Marc-André Hamelin
Percy Grainger
Charles Villiers Stanford

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Compositional Technique

Grainger's publishing agreements allowed him to design his own covers and include unique English expressions in his scores, such as 'clatteringly' and 'hammeringly', to convey his desired performance style.

Performer Biography

Marc-André Hamelin, the pianist on this recording, was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2003 and a Chevalier de l'Ordre du Québec in 2004.

Composer Biography

Percy Grainger, the composer, began his "love-hate relationship" with the piano at age five, practicing two hours daily for five years with his mother, Rose, who was his first teacher.

Performer Biography

Marc-André Hamelin is known for his active interest in little-known repertoire, reflected in his recordings of composers like Alkan, Bolcom, Godowsky, and Sorabji.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded in St George's, Brandon Hill, Bristol, between January 8-10, 1996, with Tony Faulkner as the recording engineer and Andrew Keener as the producer.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Despite his stated loathing for the piano, Grainger's piano pieces best showcase his mastery of counterpoint and musical invention, even though he considered himself primarily a choral composer.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Grainger's distaste for the piano was only tempered by its role in providing financial support until his compositions achieved recognition, which he was still awaiting at his death in 1961.