Ronald Stevenson: Piano Music, Volume Eight – Greetings to Grieg, Gardiner and the Graingers
Ronald Stevenson (1928–2015) was perhaps the only virtuoso pianist-composer in the manner of Rachmaninov and Liszt to have Celtic origins, and so it is natural to find a Celtic flavour emerging in his music – his transcriptions as well as his original compositions. It also helps explain his affinity for fellow composers like Grieg and Grainger, whose creative efforts looked to the north. But Stevenson’s openness of spirit put the whole world of music within his reach, and so piano rags can here rub shoulders with works more directly concerned to express his humanist impulse.
Christopher Guild, piano
Listen To This Recording:
Grainger arr. Stevenson
- Youthful Suite: Northern March (1898-99, arr. 1985)* (8:16)
Grieg arr. Stevenson
- Den Bergtekne (1878. arr. 1990)* (7:04)
Stevenson
- Norse Elegy for Ella Nygaard (1979) (11:03)
Ella Grainger arr. Stevenson
Love at First Sight (publ. 1946, arr. 1975)*
- Simple Version (2:03)
- Concert Version (2:29)
Stevenson
- Cambrian Canto (1965, arr. 1981)* (2:52)
- Eileen O’Malley’s Jig and Air (1975)* (2:27)
Grainger arr. Stevenson
- Country Gardens (‘Stokowski’ version; 1908, arr. c. 1990)* (3:14)
Stevenson
- Sneaky on Sixth (1987)* (3:29)
- Ragmaster (1980-84)* (2:31)
- Rigolet Rag (1973)* (2:09)
Grainger arr. Stevenson
- The Power of Rome and the Christian Heart (1918–43, arr. 1981–82) (15:06)
- Gardineriana Rhapsody (1947, arr. 1984)* (11:45)
*First Recordings
Rob Barnett :
‘Grainger’s Northern March is put through its noble affirmative paces by Stevenson and Guild. The music emerges in endearing clangour. You won’t begrudge that it’s a pleasantly obsessive rut of a piece. It races to emotionally successful heights with a fearlessly slashing skirl along the way. […]
The piano – as heard on this CD – sounds realistic and might even astonish, such is its forwardness and splendour. The awed drama of the instrument and the acoustic no doubt have much to do with the Wyastone Hall venue which was also used for volume 7 of this Guild-Toccata series.’
—Rob Barnett, MusicWeb International