The music of Percy Grainger was almost forgotten during the period when modernism ruled concert programs, but now that glasnost has come, wonderful music is emerging. The complete cycle of Grainger's music for wind band by the Royal Norwegian Navy Band is cause for celebration. The intonation is flawless, and conductor Bjarte Engeset has a feel for Grainger's music. He's the kind of composer who fares better in programs devoted to his music than heard solo; the subtlety of his orchestration emerges when he is heard as he ...
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The music of Percy Grainger was almost forgotten during the period when modernism ruled concert programs, but now that glasnost has come, wonderful music is emerging. The complete cycle of Grainger's music for wind band by the Royal Norwegian Navy Band is cause for celebration. The intonation is flawless, and conductor Bjarte Engeset has a feel for Grainger's music. He's the kind of composer who fares better in programs devoted to his music than heard solo; the subtlety of his orchestration emerges when he is heard as he is here. Sample the two versions of the piece here called Irish Tune from County Derry, otherwise known as the Londonderry Air or Danny Boy. Sketching in wind and brass alone, Grainger produces two entirely different effects. Elsewhere you get a straightforward Gum-Suckers March (Gum-Suckers are residents of Victoria state in Australia), some other highly distinctive original pieces, and transcriptions of works by composers from Josquin to Liszt, each of which is more an...
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