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lillt. PERCY GRAINGER.
CONCERT WITH ORCHES1KA.
Masterly Grieg Performance.
A splendid and 'virile performance of
the Grieg concerto for pianoforte in A
Minor marked last night's celebrity con
.__i -A .Tir;n+t;«An TTi-11 CVunrlav in WO1l-n
Mr. Percy Grainger was associated wiui
the Perth Symphony Orchestra. The
Concerto has been performed twice pre
viously this year in-Perth, the PerthSym
phony Orchestra taking part' in one per
formance. Last night's playing, led by
Mr. Grainger, in splendid vein, was -. the
most spirited and emotional -of the three.
The orchestptf did all that was required
of it, and Mr;- Grainger, who is anacknow
ledged authority oh Grieg's music, brought
a power and rhythm that -gripped theau*
dience from beginning to end. His firm
technique and fine control were to tht
fore throughout, and his .inte'rpretativ.e
ability lent to the performance a consis
tent interest and unity of purpose. As at
last Saturday night's recital, Mr. Grainger
obviously, delighted in the sheer lyricism
of 'the lighter passages, but the keynote of
the performance was the tremendous surge
of power, for which both pianist and the
orchestra were responsible, in the build-.
itgr 'up to the many effective, climaxes.
Mr. Grainger played* Grieg's 'To tho
Springtime? as an encore. /
Doubts had been expressed as to the ad
visability of arranging two celebrity con
certs in connexion, with. Mr. Grainger s
visit. The success .of last night's per
formance, in whichMr. Grainger made his
first Perth appearance at such a concert,
inspires the hope that at tomorrow night'*
final appearance the hall will be much bet
ter filled. The number of reserved, seats
left vacant last night indicated that the
Treather had been very largely resporisible
for the smallness of the -audience, which
about half filled the hall.
In addition to. the Concerto, Mr. Grain
ger last night played a solo group,, con
ducted the orchestra in one. /Of his own
works,' and was at the piano for the per
formance of another. His solo works were
drawn from Chopin, the, group' commencing
with a study in A Flat, written as an. fet
periment in two' against three 'rhythmi His
prodigious technique' was wonderfully dis
played in an. Octave Study! in. B-Minor,
and in the well-known Polonaise in A Flat
(or 'Heroic''- Polonaise), in which Mr.
Grainger reveUed in. the composer's musi
cal athleticism.' Striking.use of tfae.third bus
taining pedal was made in the Prelude No.
17, when the eleven low A: Flats at/the
close r-were sustained ?without, impairing
the harmonic : clarity -of- the upper- chords.
Mr.- Grainger explained -that it was be
lieved ihat the low .notes had not been in
cluded in the original .composition, hut
that the fine effect of a. clock striking
during a- performance, by the composer
Had '.been, noted by^a; friend, and the notes
had then^ been inserted. As an encore
Mr. Grainger played v his-. own 'Without
a Song,', in which, attractive use is made
of ? interweaving melodies. '
Mr. Grainger .conducted, the orchestra in
the performance of his well-known 'County
Defry Air,' in which he obtained a most
effective gradation of tone in the various
string parts. Under the baton , of the
orchestra's regular composer, Mr. '.George
ReidV 'he played with the orchestraVui
his own 'Spoon River,' the tune of which
he describes' as 'very archaic in charac
ter, typically American; yet akin to cer
tain Scottish, and English dance tune
types.' . The performance was lent ad
ditional interest and effectiveness, by the
playing df the xylophone,- steel- marimba
and staff bells by Mrs: Ella Grainger. The
work proved so popular that it had to be
repeated. ,
The orchestra opened the programme
with Dvorak's 'Carneval' Overture, and
ite other numbers were Taubert's 'Lie-
besliedschen?' Aus 'Der^ Sturm' (marked
for effective tonal control in pizzicato work
by . the strings),, 'The School of the
Fauns,' by Pierne, and Friedmann's 'Sla-
vonic Rhapsody,' ? all of which have been
performed at its fortnightly Sunday con
certs.- ' ?'. .
Mr; Grainger's final Perth appearance on
his current tour will be at Winthrop Hall,
CraWley, tomorrow nigh^, when he will
again be associated with the Perth Sym
phony Orchestra, with which he will play
a Tchaik'owsky pianoforte concerto.
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