Percy Aldridge Grainger

Country Gardens

Country Gardens is perhaps Percy Grainger's most well-known work and at the least is the work which brought him the most fame as a concert pianist (in addition to a large amount of revenue through royalties). This version, based on a later orchestration of the work, came at a point in his life in which he was tired of the tune and features a number of purposeful 'wrong' notes. Grainger once remarked: 'The typical English country garden is not often used to grow flowers in; it is more likely to be a vegetable plot. So you can think of turnips as I play it.' Embrace these wrong notes, but also perhaps give the audience a little fair warning and some of the back story. Enjoy!