RR 2011/339 The New Percy Grainger Companion

摘要

Percy Grainger (1882-1961) tends to be remembered today for his virtuoso piano compositions, for concert extravaganzas like one for the orchestral work The Warriors with 19 grand pianos on stage, and for a wild and free lifestyle. He has been called many things, from musical court jester to original prodigy, and this comes through in his varied and idiosyncratic musical repertoire. Recent years have seen continuing, indeed growing, interest in his music, from academics and performers. This "new" companion comes, then, at an appropriate time to capture what has taken place - critically and in research, as well as in performance - since the publication of the original companion to Percy Grainger (Foreman, 1981). Penelope Thwaites as editor is a concert pianist in her own right with numerous recordings of Grainger's piano music (as an extensive discography in the new companion reveals), and this couples well with her own deep interest in the family history and musical historiography of Grainger.