Danny Boy: The Music of Percy Grainger

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Grainger was one of music's true originals. Folk-song collector, bandmaster, composer of quirkily original orchestral and choral music, his works have yet to be fully appreciated--or even cataloged. The problem was that he liked to keep his performance options open, and generally produced several versions of the same piece, some of which were complete rewrites (and therefore new works), while others were modest rescorings. The choral music largely consists of folk tune and popular song arrangements that Grainger collected on his travels through the English and Irish countryside. You owe it to yourself to hear them; they are, one and all, delightful. --David Hurwitz

Tracks:

Dashing Away With The Smoothing Iron
Brigg Fair
Botany Bay
Il Est Ne Le Divin Enfant
Myfanwy
The Turtle Dove
Londonderry Air
Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
Nobody Knows The Trouble I Seen
De Gospel Train
My Sweetheart's Like Venus
Ca' The Yowes
Molly Malone
O Waly Waly
Ye Banks And Braes
Song Of The Volga Boatmen
Shenandoah
Joshua
Steal Away
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

Customer Reviews:

Not what I expected.......2007-05-21

The description of this product led me to believe that it was something altogether different.
It was not the kknd of music I enjoy.

Average customer rating:

Eureka!

Grainger: Danny Boy [Australia]
Pears , Schirley-Qurik , Britten , and Englisch Chamber Orchestra
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
ASIN: B000060MDU
Release Date: 2002-01-28

Tracks:

Shepherd's Hey
Willow Willow
I'm Seventeen Come Sunday
Bold William Taylor
There Was A Pig Went Out To Dig
My Robin Is To The Green Wood Gone
Lord Maxwell's Goodnight
'duke Of Marlborough' Fanfare
Let's Dance Gay In Green Meadow
Scotch Strathspey And Reel
Pretty Maid Milkin' Her Cow - The Sprig Of Thyme
Lisbon
Lost Lady Found
Shallow Brown
Molly On The Shore
Shenandoah
Irish Tune From County Derry
Brigg Fair
Green Bushes - Passacaglia On An English Folk-Song

Customer Reviews:

Eureka!.......2003-09-10

I have been waiting on this CD for years. This is a reissue of an old London Records release (with several tunes added) featuring Benjamin Britten, Peter Pears, John Shirley-Quirk, et al, each having been friends of Grainger's and old hands at performing his music. The vinyl has been out of print for years (still have my old copy) and it's very much like finding a dear old friend, well-preserved and even more delightful than one remembered. The settings are superb, the performances sublime and the choice of material inspired. This is one of my two favorite Grainger albums, the other being an old Everest release of Duo-Art piano rolls of himself (PAG) playing, peerlessly, a wonderful selection of his and others' tunes and now available on Nimbus Records: catalog NI 8809. It's probably better engineered than the Everest, but my ears are still tuned in to the older sonority.

Average customer rating:

Best Perlman Collection
Plenty of Perlman
Our Greatest Living Violinist
Great music from a great man.
Not bad. But Hilary Hanh plays Bach more beautifully

The Art Of Itzhak Perlman

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Voice of the Violin

ASIN: B000002S4J
Release Date: 1993-03-30

Tracks:

Violin Concerto In G MInor, BWV 1056: Allegro
Violin Concerto In G MInor, BWV 1056: Largo
Violin Concerto In G MInor, BWV 1056: Presto
Partita No 3, BW 1006: Preludo
Partita No 3, BW 1006: Loure
Partita No 3, BW 1006: Gavotte en Rondeau
Partita No 3, BW 1006: Menuet I
Partita No 3, BW 1006: Menuet II
Partita No 3, BW 1006: Bourree
Partita No 3, BW 1006: Gique
Violin Concerto in C minor, RV 199 'Il sospetto': Allegro
Violin Concerto in C minor, RV 199 'Il sospetto': Andante
Violin Concerto in C minor, RV 199 'Il sospetto': Allegro
Oboe Quartet in F, K 370: Allegro
Oboe Quartet in F, K 370: Adagio
Oboe Quartet in F, K 370: Rondo (Allegro)
Violin Sonata No 3 in D minor, Op 108: Allegro
Violin Sonata No 3 in D minor, Op 108: Adagio
Violin Sonata No 3 in D minor, Op 108: Un poco presto e con sentimento
Violin Sonata No 3 in D minor, Op 108: Presto agitato

Tracks:

Suite for Violin and Orchestra in A minor, Op 10: Presto
Suite for Violin and Orchestra in A minor, Op 10: Adagio
Suite for Violin and Orchestra in A minor, Op 10: Temp giusto
Violin Concerto No 1 in F sharp minor, Op 14: Allegro moderato
Violin Concerto No 1 in F sharp minor, Op 14: Preghiera (Larghetto)
Violin Concerto No 1 in F sharp minor, Op 14: Rondo (Allegro giocoso)
Violin Concerto in D minor, Op 47: Allegro moderato
Violin Concerto in D minor, Op 47: Adagio di motto
Violin Concerto in D minor, Op 47: Allegro, ma non tanto

Tracks:

Violin Concerto in D minor: Allegro con fermezza
Violin Concerto in D minor: Andante sostenuto
Violin Concerto in D minor: Allegro vivace
Violin Concerto in D, Op 35: Moderato nobile
Violin Concerto in D, Op 35: Romance (Andante)
Violin Concerto in D, Op 35: Finale (Allegro assai vivace)
Suite Italienne: I Introduzione
Suite Italienne: Serenata
Suite Italienne: Tarantella
Suite Italienne: Gavotte con due variazioni
Suite Italienne: Scherzino
Suite Italienne: Menuetto e Finale

Tracks:

Doyna: Donya - Various Artists
My Yiddishe Momma - Various Artists
The Old Folks at Home - Various Artists
Estrellita - Various Artists
The Rag-Time Dance - Various Artists
Pine Apple Rag - Various Artists
Z domoviny - Il Andantino - Various Artists
Liebesfreud - Various Artists
Liebeslied - Various Artists
Vocalise, Op 34 No 14 - Various Artists
Hungarian Dance No 1 in G minor - Various Artists
Hungarian Dance No 2 in D minor - Various Artists
Hungarian Dance No 7 in A - Various Artists
Hungarian Dance No 9 in E minor - Various Artists
Molly On The Shore - Various Artists
Look At Him Go - Andre Previn
Bowing and Scraping - Andre Previn
Londonderry Air - Various Artists
Carmen Fantasy, Op 25 - Various Artists

Customer Reviews:

Best Perlman Collection.......2004-02-28

Hi,

I think this is a very nice Perlman collection...Beautiful works selected from different Musical Eras and different styles...And Mr. Perlman is very succesful in all these types of masterworks...you can easily feel the Bach's crying words...Mozart's fun...Brahms's passion...Sinding's virtuosity...Wienlawski's Romantism...Khachaturian's hurry...and Rachmaninov's sentiments....and many others...
and also Israeli Orchestra did a very good job on this performance...They are like the third hand of Perlman...They work and feel like a family...
If you are a Perlman Fan, you must have been already bought this CD...if you are not or new to this performer it is time to meet him..and it is the way to meet him...go!!!

Plenty of Perlman.......2002-03-11

If you enjoy Itzhak Perlman and do not have very many of the selections on these discs, here is one way to get hold of them. Each of the four discs boasts a theme: 1. Baroque and Chamber Music, 2. Violin and Orchestra, 3. 20th Century Music, and 4. The Lighter Side. The selections are naturally limited to recordings Perlman did with EMI, but this represents quite a bit of his overall output. Among the recordings of the Sibelius Violin Concerto that I've heard, the one included here with André Previn and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is one I enjoy immensely. I like the cinematic sweep of the Korngold Concerto; the Bach Violin Partita; the jazz selections written by Previn. There isn't much that I don't like here. Here is a compilation where variety is a key factor. If you're into variety and Perlman's style, this set gives you plenty of both.

Our Greatest Living Violinist.......2000-05-11

Almost 30 years ago, at Penn State while I was a student there, Itzhak Perlman visited, gave some lessons to aspiring violinists and gave the most astounding, memorable concert I've ever attended. Quite to the contrary of the fellow from Baton Rouge, Perlman was the consummate teacher who critiqued and encouraged students with far lesser talents, and he did it with class. This collection contains a number of recordings I already have but consider them worth having again in such a superbly arranged collection. His arrangements on the Hungarian Dances are the best!

Great music from a great man........2000-01-06

The sentiments of certain Baton Rouge residents notwithstanding, this is the consummate collection from a great artist AND a great humanitarian.

Not bad. But Hilary Hanh plays Bach more beautifully.......1999-11-16

Perlman plays Bach quite well, but when compared to Hilary Hahn, Perlman comes out second best. Hilary captures the whole essence and spirit of Bach, and herr violin sings Bach in two, three, and four beautiful voices in perfect harmnony.

Average customer rating:

ONE track buy
Better than Chandos 'The Grainger Edition'
I love this CD!
Hello Grainger!

Danny Boy: The Music of Percy Grainger

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

British Wind Band Classics
Donnie Darko - The Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition)

ASIN: B0000041DB
Release Date: 1996-05-14

Tracks:

I'm Seventeen Come Sunday
Brigg Fair
Love Verses From The Song Of Solomon
The Merry Wedding
Shallow Brown
Father And Daughter
Mo Nighean Dubh
The Bride's Tragedy
Irish Tune From County Derry (Danny Boy)
Scotch Strathspey And Reel
The Lost Lady Found
The Three Ravens
Danny Deever
Tribute To Foster

Amazon.com

Grainger was one of music's true originals. Folk-song collector, bandmaster, composer of quirkily original orchestral and choral music, his works have yet to be fully appreciated--or even cataloged. The problem was that he liked to keep his performance options open, and generally produced several versions of the same piece, some of which were complete rewrites (and therefore new works), while others were modest rescorings. The choral music largely consists of folk tune and popular song arrangements that Grainger collected on his travels through the English and Irish countryside. You owe it to yourself to hear them; they are, one and all, delightful. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

ONE track buy.......2007-03-30

Danny Boy is that one track.

The other tracks are just not worth mentioning.

Better than Chandos 'The Grainger Edition'.......2007-01-23

It is unfortunate that this 'Danny Boy' album by the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra is not indexed more clearly by the name of the director, John Eliot Gardiner, as he is featured prominantly on the cover, and is probably the primary artistic contribution which makes this album better than the similar 'Works for Chorus and Orchestra' directed by Richard Hickox on Chandos. This is not to say the Chandos release is not good. It is very good. It's just that this one is better in both the selection of material and the quality of the performances. Both albums contain performances of one of my all time favorite ditty's, 'Scotch Strathspey and Reel', best known by its opening line, 'What do we do with a drunken sailor'. Hickox does it well. Gardiner and Co do it better. And, Gardiner includes a terrific closer, a 'Tribute to Foster', the great American art song composer, whose style Grainger seems to emulate in most of his vocal works. If you are intent on having the complete Chandos 'Grainger Edition', you won't miss out by picking them over the Phillips album, but you may really want both, if you are a serious Grainger fan.

I love this CD! .......2004-10-08

Best known for his piano compositions like Country Gardens and Shepherd's Hey, Percy Grainger was in fact a prolific choral composer. His choral works focus mostly on folk music of Britain, Denmark, Ireland, Scotland, and America. As a folk song "collector," Grainger traveled Europe in search of individuals that could sing these traditional pieces in the original style that had been passed down by oral tradition. The result is a fabulous array of exquisite arrangements for a variety of choir types.

Many of you may recognize I'm Seventeen Come Sunday. Grainger's fun, rollicking arrangement features a stunning brass ensemble and orchestra accompaniment - one of the essential ingredients in many of his folk-song settings, including The Merry Wedding, a bridal dance set to poems from the Faeroe Islands. Remove the orchestra in these tunes, and somehow the soul of the song is missing. However, there are several a cappella arrangements in this recording as well. Brigg Fair and Mo Nighean Dubh are two of these; the former features a tenor soloist reciting the familiar "For it's meeting is a pleasure, and parting is a grief, but an unconstant lover is worse than any thief" amid other stanzas about meeting his love at a fair in August. The mournful melody makes one wonder if he is possible regretting an indiscretion that cost him his true love. Grainger's gorgeous a cappella arrangement of the Gaelic melody in Mo Nighean Dubh is set to words by John Park, and is full of rich harmonies and strong dynamic changes that match the text. The wordless, a cappella setting of Irish Tune from County Derry is familiar to everyone - it is the tune we know as Danny Boy or Londonderry Air. An identical setting was done for band, and both settings feature a section where the melody transfers to the tenors or the low brass. Very unusual, especially for bands. An exquisite arrangement of this well-loved melody.

Love Verses from The Song of Solomon is perhaps the most gorgeous setting of this Biblical text. Grainger did not choose the somewhat overused "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away" text, instead opting for the perhaps more descriptive and personal sections in chapter 1 and the beginning of chapter 2. Scored for tenor, baritone, and mezzo-soprano solos, choir, and orchestra, the rich harmonies and Eastern flavor of the work features sweeping choral passages and brilliant climaxes of extraordinarily beautiful sound. The text partners perfectly with the yearning solo, choral, and orchestral parts.

Shallow Brown, for mezzo-soprano soloist and men's choir, tells the tale of a woman's lover, who is leaving her alone as he sails the seas. You can hear the unshed tears in her voice as the ship gets farther away; the men's choir, representing the ship's crew, gradually decrescendos as they travel farther from shore. The orchestra paints an incredibly vivid picture of the swell and surge of the ocean's waves, imitating the intensity of the current, carrying the woman's love away.

Father and Daughter is a rather horrific story, couched in a happy dance-tune, set for double choir and orchestra. The male soloists represent the tense question-and-answer session between the father and daughter, while the choirs obliviously sing the jolly text of this Faeroe Island dancing ballad, "Blithely dance the measure, all ye knights and swains so merrily." The bloody ending to this tale of lies and deceit is foreshadowed by the chaotic unraveling of the orchestra and choir parts. Grainger used this "unraveling" technique in The Bride's Tragedy as well; a heartbreaking story of two lovers drowned while trying to escape a jilted bridegroom and his angry kin. The story is almost Shakespearean in its complicated plot, and, like many Shakespearean tragedies, the terrible ending could have been avoided if everything had gone according to plan. I appreciate the flawed personalities of the characters in the story - their raw emotions are portrayed beautifully in Grainger's arrangement. For example, the bride furiously expresses her anger and frustration to her lover because he did not take her away the day before the wedding, as planned: "My lamp was lit yestreen, Willie, my window gate was wide: but ye came not nigh me, till day came by me and made me not your bride." Another element that makes The Bride's Tragedy so incredible is the second section of the piece - it could almost be called a second movement, it is so different from the first. This section begins when the lovers are overcome by the waves and begin to drown. The tempo slows and the voices take on an unearthly, far-away quality that seems to describe the floating of the bodies underwater and the loss of consciousness as death approaches. Rather gruesome, but certainly emotional and uncomfortably frank. This track is my favorite on the CD.

Scotch Strathspey and Reel is a blending of six Scotch and Irish tunes together with the familiar sea-chanty "What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor" in stunning, chaotic harmony. This setting seems to be incredibly difficult to sing; I therefore find the performance of the men's choir quite impressive. I also appreciate the performance of The Lost Lady Found, an English dance-folksong sung in the original Lincolnshire dialect and style, which is as far from our idea of "proper British pronunciation" as one may get. This so-called improper pronunciation continues in Danny Deever, using words from Rudyard Kipling's Barrack-room Ballads. This grisly-comic "hanging" ballad is scored for small choir or baritone soloist, men's choir, and orchestra. A dramatic march set in dialogue format, telling the story of a traitor's hanging. The drama and upbeat pace continue in Tribute to Foster, Grainger's setting of Camptown Races. The second half of the piece contains additional verses written by Grainger himself, recollecting the times when his own mother sung the song to him as a lullaby.

Another haunting melody is presented in The Three Ravens, an old English set for baritone solo, mixed chorus and five clarinets. The unusual text about a knight and a doe is apparently an allusion to the crucified Christ and his mother Mary. Dramatic dynamic swells and ghostly wails make this another remarkable creation by Grainger.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about this CD; I know you will enjoy the recording even more! You will not be disappointed!

Hello Grainger!.......2000-07-26

Well, this is a fine recording. We played "Irish Tune" this year in band and it is very hard to play right. Any band that can play this song and do it well, really shows how disciplined they are. Fine recording!

Average customer rating:

An entertaining hour of transcripted music

Romantic Violin Favourites

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Violin Miniatures

ASIN: B0000013KM
Release Date: 1993-06-25

Tracks:

Rosamunde: Ballet Music
Adagietto from L'Arlesienne
Hymn To The Sun From The Golden Cockerel
Serse: Largo (Ombra mai fu)
Sadko: Hindu Song
Songs My Mother Taught Me (Gypsy Song No. 4)
Scheherazade: Oriental Dance
Scheherazade: Arabian Song
Orfeo & Euridice: Melody (Dance of the Blessed Spirits)
Piano Trio in G: Hungarian Rondo
Austrian Imperial Hymn
Haffner Serenade: Rondo
Op. 94: Romance
Lyric Pieces: To The Spring
Tambourin
Molly On The Shore
Song Of The Volga Boatmen
Londonderry Air

Customer Reviews:

An entertaining hour of transcripted music.......2004-10-09

Takako Nishizaki, violin, and Wolf Harden, piano, recorded these transcriptions by Fritz Kreisler in Francfort between 1982 and 1984. Most of the pieces were originally popular orchestral movements, and Kreisler transformed them into bite-sized chunks for violin with piano accompaniment either as 'encores' for his concerts or as 'fillers' for the B-sides of his 78 RPM records. They were obviously not intended to be heard together as a programme, but nevertheless this CD provides an hour or so of fine entertainment with well-known melodies galore, and it only takes a touch of the 'random' or 'shuffle' button on one's remote control to re-order the programme and get a few surprises. The recording is, by Naxos standards, excellent, Miss Nishizaki standing prominently on the left and the piano less prominently in the centre.

Of course, one could have reservations about Kreisler's manner of treating the romantic repertoire. He is known to have, on occasion, passed off his own compositions as the works of others, and Keith Anderson, in his liner notes, points out that Kreisler was the first famous violinist to introduce the constant use of vibrato, to avoid the use of the whole bow and to consider practice as a 'bad habit'! That was almost enough to turn me off this music before I had even heard it (I love 'historical performance practice'), but on second thoughts I suppose Kreisler himself is now history and deserves a faithful rendering just as much as the composers he himself loved (and falsified). Takako Nishizaki is probably an ideal interpreter, having devoted herself to Kreisler and produced a complete edition of his solo violin works. The young Wolf Harden is an accompanist, no more, but the end-result is a relaxing one that needn't be taken more seriously than one would take Kreisler himself.