Percy Grainger - Irish Tune from County Derry (Piano)

Percy Grainger (1882-1961)
Irish Tune from County Derry (1911) with score

Penelope Thwaites (piano)

[ghostfox]

My freshman year of high school our concert band played this piece and to this day it still gives me the same chills it gave me all those years ago. Easily my favorite arrangement I’ve ever heard.

[GamerGuyMatt]

Absolutely exquisite rendition of this piece. The clarity in the parts is so easy to hear, and your ability to bring out the melody is just wonderful. Bravo

[davlanc]

This was beautifully played Penelope.  Percy Grainger was such a  master at bringing out the tune in the midst of such gorgeous notation.

[MaestroJVP]

That Db in 2nd last bar - tells a whole story in itself of loss, ages spent and so-be-it ... Well done!

[MatthewValenzuela]

It's really astoundingly beautiful how brilliant of an orchestrator Grainger was. To recall the fact that this is also an adaptation of a work for wind ensemble and to have such intricate voicings makes this piece so much more deep and lovely.

[timothyj]

Grainger was expert at piano voicing - wow

[deldridg]

This is an absolutely gorgeous interpretation and performance. I have had this piece in my collection for over 40 years since starting to learn piano - if only I ever came close to this powerful and moving performance. Thank you so much - this recording will be played many times. Having just located my copy of the music, I might even have another go at learning it (with a bit of grand plagiarism from this recording...). Many thanks and regards from Sydney - David

[davidhumphreys]

Absolutely wonderful. The way she colours those chords.

[TheFlirtaAlberta]

A powerful and beautifully rendered version of this famous tune. Bravo, Penny, wherever you are.

[pianoplayrpiano]

Beautiful arrangement and lovely, lovely playing. Thank you for posting this. I didn't know Percy Grainger had arranged this for the piano. I was able to find a copy of the sheet music and am so looking forward to learning this lovely piece!❤

[mattklammer]

Bravo Penelope ! excellent voicing and dynamics. Totally conveys the spirit of this music

[CMLPoP]

how could anyone dislike this? this is amazing! thanks for uploading :D

[michaelbai]

Beatiful air folk, beautiful play, Respect to Player, Penelope Thwaites, Arranger, Percy Grainger, and Origin Collector Jane Ross (died in 1879)

[heinvanmaarschalkerwaart]

Very well played in such complex voicings! Chapeau.

[GarySchmidtPianist]

what a moving arrangement and performance

[vladibaby]

so nice!!! A perfect encore piece actually

[christianmartinez]

I hope to play this for my piano final this semester and for the piano recital

[thatguyfromm]

I'm not sure if I had heard it before, but as soon as I did while watching 1952's ''Foghorn'', starring Toshiro Mifune, it stuck me by how good it was.

[HPDH]

Wow she plays some of the notes so quietly I wonder if I’m just hearing overtones from other notes

[MrRicksStudio]

How right you are. I tell my student that this is one of the most difficult things I have ever played. Why? The voicing. We are all trained to voice the tops of chords, NOT this note here, this note there.