21-11-2011 - Percy Grainger

[MrGongGong]

There was a brilliant drama-doc by Australia Broadcasting Co., about Grainger, warts 'n all, regarding the pouch machine and his many foibles and electronics and you could hear the machine at work. I have it still, I think, on the computer. It was indeed insightful about the man, I must try and find it it and if poss, post it here.

That would be brilliant
and timely given the reconstruction of the Oramics machine

[cping500]

Thanks for letting me in at last.

apropos of CoTW this week. Here is a tweet thread I had with one of the producers today (over afternoon tea as it were )


Him...Trying to make sense of (name removed) prodigious output for new COTW...v wide spectrum of quality - but when he's good...

Me... COTW's trouble is the biog/dev format gives you the dates but not the best. For Grainger we are getting the dates +the fun

Him interesting thoughts - I know myself and fellow producers have different takes on format (e.g. not always birth to death)...

Him +...e.g.concentrating on a particular historical period; or a form/genre; or a particular place or influence. How could we improve?

I wonder if the crowd in the cloud had any views?(preferably on topic)

[Serial_Apologist]

Thanks for letting me in at last.

apropos of CoTW this week. Here is a tweet thread I had with one of the producers today (over afternoon tea as it were )


Him...Trying to make sense of (name removed) prodigious output for new COTW...v wide spectrum of quality - but when he's good...

Me... COTW's trouble is the biog/dev format gives you the dates but not the best. For Grainger we are getting the dates +the fun

Him interesting thoughts - I know myself and fellow producers have different takes on format (e.g. not always birth to death)...

Him +...e.g.concentrating on a particular historical period; or a form/genre; or a particular place or influence. How could we improve?

I wonder if the crowd in the cloud had any views?(preferably on topic)

Welcome, cping; and thanks.

Thus far, for me a wonderful series on Grainger: lots of pieces I had not heard previously, and dates given for a change. I'm surprised we have heard nothing of Delius - unless I've missed something; I had assumed them to have been close, partly via the Greig connection? They shared a common harmonic vocabulary; in Grainger's case this undoubtedly rubbed off on RVW, maybe Brian, too.

[Anna]

Unfortunately although the link to the docu-drama I mentioned above is still on my computer it's expired. Apologies for raising hopes. However, looking to see if it had been archived as text I found this on LA, broadcast last week. It's a reading of one of Percy Grainger's letters to his lover Karen Holten, it may be of interest to some. It seems there is a cd which incorporates his words with his music. Fast forward it to 49 mins

http://www.abc.net.au/classic/content/2011/11/16/3366498.htm

[ardcarp]

I'm surprised we have heard nothing of Delius - unless I've missed something; I had assumed them to have been close, partly via the Greig connection? They shared a common harmonic vocabulary; in Grainger's case this undoubtedly rubbed off on RVW, maybe Brian, too.

Definitely a few Delian chord progressions tweaked into the Grainger "Drunken Sailor" thing played on 3Beebies this morning. Otherwise it's a sort of Gaelic ceilidh with knobs on.

[Serial_Apologist]

Unfortunately although the link to the docu-drama I mentioned above is still on my computer it's expired. Apologies for raising hopes. However, looking to see if it had been archived as text I found this on LA, broadcast last week. It's a reading of one of Percy Grainger's letters to his lover Karen Holten, it may be of interest to some. It seems there is a cd which incorporates his words with his music. Fast forward it to 49 mins
http://www.abc.net.au/classic/conten...16/3366498.htm

Never mind - thanks Anna: will check this out later.

[ardcarp]

I was very struck bu The Beaches of Lukammon which I'd never heard (of) before.. Apart from anything else, there was the most superbly directed choir ...and well, it just had to be Polyphony. I think it's on a Hyperion CD which I'm just going to have to get in my stocking. (Damn...I've alluded to Christmas.)

[ardcarp]

As I was listening in the car I did not quite twig that Polyphony recorded the whole of Grainger's Jungle Book...and it's on CDA66863

[Serial_Apologist]

A truly wonderful COTW; one learned so much about Grainger. What uplifting music to have come from so tortured a soul.

(Edit: did anyone else hear Donald Macleod use the word "half-caste" in reference to a character from Kipling's Jungle Book with whom Grainger was said to have identified?)