Album

Percy Grainger was one of the principal architects of the symphonic wind orchestra in modern times, and Chandos' Grainger: Transcriptions for Wind Orchestra is a survey of much of the arrangements Grainger made for wind groups from non-original sources. While the sources may have been non-original, Grainger's totally transformative approach to these musical texts certainly qualifies these efforts as "original"; they reflect Grainger's own personality and taste rather than those of the source works and composers. Of the 14 works in the program, eight have never been recorded; many belong to a series published by Schirmer under the rubric of "Chosen Gems for Winds" and first heard at the Interlochen Summer Camp in Michigan, where Grainger taught from 1937 to 1944. Clark Rundell and the Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra perform this music with precision and a clean, secure tone quality, though not with an overabundant amount of spirit, in this Chandos recording.

Many of the pieces Grainger worked from betray his interest in very old music; perhaps strangest of all is his arrangement of Ballade No. 17 by Guillaume de Machaut, better known in its original form as "Sans Cuer m'en vois," here played in only one of several possibilities that Grainger mapped out as possible realizations of the piece. Some of these works fall under Grainger's designation of "elastic scoring," where a basic musical text is provided and numerous options for realization given in terms of instrumentation. There is a very late arrangement, for piano and band, of Franz Liszt's Hungarian Fantasy, an amusing recasting of Fauré's early Tuscan Serenade, and a ravishingly beautiful retread of Johann Sebastian Bach's aria "Seht, was die Liebe tut." It is similar in approach to "Blithe Bells," Grainger's rewrite on Bach's aria "Was mir behagt" from the Hunt Cantata for what he called tuneful percussion; while it has a lovely sound, any resemblance to Bach is purely coincidental.

One really wishes the Royal Northern could inject a little verve into these sterile performances; certainly with the kids at Interlochen the tone would have been less absolute, but enthusiasm and a sense of occasion would have taken hold to make this music captivating. However, with so many of these things never recorded before, to those who are interested in hearing Grainger's lesser-known works for band, this remains a viable option.

© Uncle Dave Lewis, All Music Guide

CD 1
Percy Grainger Composer Angelus ad Virginem, transcription for winds (after anon.13th c. hymn) Work Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra Orchestra, Clark Rundell Conductor
1	Angelus ad Virginem, transcription for winds (after anon.13th c. hymn)	1:55			$0.99
Guillaume de Machaut Composer Sanz cuer/Amis, dolens/Dame, par vous (a3) Work Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra Orchestra, Clark Rundell Conductor
2	Sanz cuer/Amis, dolens/Dame, par vous (a3)	2:11			$0.99
Josquin Des Prez Composer La Bernardina (a3; untexted) Work Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra Orchestra, Clark Rundell Conductor
3	La Bernardina (a3; untexted)	1:16			$0.99
Antonio de Cabezón Composer Tiento del secondo ton for organ Work Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra Orchestra, Clark Rundell Conductor
4	Tiento del secondo ton for organ	4:17			$0.99
Alfonso (ii) Ferrabosco Composer Four-note pavan Work Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra Orchestra, Clark Rundell Conductor
5	Four-note pavan	3:06			$0.99
John Jenkins Composer Fantasy a 5 No.15 in D Work Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra Orchestra, Clark Rundell Conductor
6	Fantasy a 5 No.15 in D	3:16			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Anna Magdalena Notebook, BWV Anh.113-32, etc. (with works by J.S.Bach, C.P.E. Bach, G.Bohm, F.Couperin, etc.) Work Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra Orchestra, Clark Rundell Conductor
7	14.March in D, BWV Anh.122 (probably by C.P.E.Bach)	1:31			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Cantata No.85: Ich bin ein guter Hirt (2nd Sunday of Easter), BWV85 Work Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra Orchestra, Clark Rundell Conductor
8	5.Aria (Tenor): Seht, was die Liebe tut	3:02			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer O Mensch, bewein' dein' Sünde gross, BWV622 Work Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra Orchestra, Clark Rundell Conductor
9	O Mensch, bewein' dein' Sünde gross, BWV622	3:38			$0.99
Franz Liszt Composer Hungarian Fantasy, S.123 Work Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra Orchestra, Clark Rundell Conductor, Ivan Hovorun Piano
10	Hungarian Fantasy, S.123	16:38			$2.99
César Franck Composer 3 Chorales, M.38-40 Work Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra Orchestra, Clark Rundell Conductor
11	2.Chorale No.2 in B-, M.39	11:47			$1.99
Gabriel Fauré Composer 2 Songs, Op.3...2 Songs, Op.3 (arr. wind ensemble) Work Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra Orchestra, Clark Rundell Conductor
12	2.Serénade Toscane	2:49			$0.99
Sir Eugene Goossens Composer Ballades (2), Op 38 Work Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra Orchestra, Clark Rundell Conductor
13	No.1. Folk-Tune	2:33			$0.99
Katharine ('Kitty') Parker Composer 4 Musical Sketches, for piano Work Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra Orchestra, Clark Rundell Conductor
14	2.Down Longford Way	2:08			$0.99