Percy Grainger was not, presumably, the inventor of fresh air, but he certainly brought a lot of that invaluable commodity into the music of his period. It is the piano music, of course, which is at stake here: it includes both originals (the In a Nutshell suite, in an alternative version to the orchestral, for example). In both cases the relatively unfamiliar is allowed space along with familiar. I do not think that everybody will previously have met the substantial and varied Jutish Medley (folk-tunes from Jutland), or the Lullaby, transcribed from an improvised piano roll made by Grainger of a movement from his Tribute to Foster suite (the Foster concerned, of course, was Stephen, with special reference to his Camptown Races). Even the Colonial Song is not all that familiar, in spite of what might be called secondary fame originating from Beecham's declared view of it as ''the worst piece of the twentieth century''. Today it is, I would suggest, a non-starter for that particular accolade: the quarter-century since Beecham died has produced much stronger contenders!
Nigel Coxe plays the programme with great skill, relishing, it seems, the extreme technical demands on the soloist made in places. He has, too, an obvious affection for the muisc; this is also evident in the notes he has written about it. These contain a great deal of information, presented with evident enthusiasm. For all the listeners who enjoy or play (or even both!) Shepherd's Hey how many know just what a 'Hey' is? Certainly not this one, who is very pleased to discover at last: it is now revealed to be not a greeting but a Morris Dance figure. Or how many listeners have at some time wondered why Handel somehow got into the Strand? Again, all is now revealed: naturally, it was because the Strand was the home of English musical comedy: obvious!
The recorded piano tone is splendidly clear, though it may be found to need a little off the top to produce the best quality. The programme information is printed on the CD 'label' and also on the box itself, but not on the leaflet included with the notes. It would be a great pity if this inconvenience caught on.'