Steve Schwartz wrote:

>Grainger ... did leave accounts of some of the Slatter and Lyric Pieces,
>as well as (late in his life and past his prime) one of the concerto.  By
>that time, he had apparently so physically deteriorated that the record
>company, Vanguard, decided not to release the lp, but withdrew it only
>after several hundred had been distributed.

I recall the Sydney Symphony recording the orchestral part to accompany
Grainger's piano roll.  It was released on LP.  I don't know when or for
which company Grainger made the roll, nor do I remember when or on which
label the performance was released.  Bob K may have something in the
Schwann archives.

A couple of tangents:

Grieg's Holberg Suite has for me - and others - had warhorse status for
a long time, but my interest in it was renewed when I heard the piano
original, of which there are a number of recordings.  I have Cyprien
Katsaris's on Teldec.  The movement that I particularly love in this form
is the air, which has an atmosphere of Schubertian despair I find very
moving.  I urge seeking it out if you've not heard it.  There's so much
of Grieg's piano music and Naxos seems bent on recording it all.  Where
else would be a good place to jump in?

Occasionally, some lucky lister announces a trip to Europe.  It's more
than a bit off the beaten track, but a visit to the Grieg residence at
Troldhaugen is well worth it.  The train ride from Oslo to Bergen provides
sensational scenery and a sense of amazement at what the early C20
engineers achieved in building the track.  Troldhaugen is a short ride from
the centre of the city.  Grieg's house is on the edge of a fjord and just
down the bank is the little house where he composed, still as he left it.
The setting is idyllic, the view across the fjord is mesmerising.  File for
future reference.

Richard Pennycuick
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