The personal generosity that made the Scottish composer Ronald Stevenson (1928-2015) such a warm and vibrant character extended also to his writing-desk: around a quarter of his enormous output is given over to transcriptions, mostly for piano, of music by other composers. Here he pays homage to three earlier colleagues whose music he particularly esteemed: Purcell, Delius and van Dieren. Stevenson described his version of Van Dieren's String Quartet No. 5 (1931) as 'transcribed as a piano sonata (which B. v. D. never composed)' - and thus it became the piano sonata which Stevenson himself never composed. The album ends with Stevenson's brief but achingly beautiful harmonisation of Purcell's The Queen's Dolour - as exquisite an example of the transcriber's art as anyone could wish.

Tracklist:

Toccata In A Major (Transcr. R. Stevenson For Piano) [Attrib. J.S. Bach As Bwv Anh. 178]
Hornpipe (After Purcell)
3 Grounds (After Purcell): No. 1 In C Minor
3 Grounds (After Purcell): No. 2 In E-Flat Minor
3 Grounds (After Purcell): No. 3 In D Minor
The Young Pianist's Delius: No. 1, Dance
The Young Pianist's Delius: No. 2, Tune From "Brigg Fair"
The Young Pianist's Delius: No. 3, La Calinda
The Young Pianist's Delius: No. 4, Serenade
The Young Pianist's Delius: No. 5, The Cuckoo
The Young Pianist's Delius: No. 6, Late Swallows
The Young Pianist's Delius: No. 7, Intermezzo
The Young Pianist's Delius: No. 8, Tune From "String Quartet"
The Young Pianist's Delius: No. 9, Tune From "Violin Sonata No. 2"
The Young Pianist's Delius: No. 10, Themes From "Song Of The High Hills"
Little Jazz Variations On Purcell's "New Scotch Tune"
String Quartet No. 5 (Transcr. R. Stevenson For Piano): I. Con Moto Ben Sostenuto
String Quartet No. 5 (Transcr. R. Stevenson For Piano): II. Molto Tranquillo
String Quartet No. 5 (Transcr. R. Stevenson For Piano): III. Impetuosamente
String Quartet No. 5 (Transcr. R. Stevenson For Piano): IV. Con Spirito
String Quartet No. 5 (Transcr. R. Stevenson For Piano): V. Adagio Cantando
String Quartet No. 5 (Transcr. R. Stevenson For Piano): VI. Finale. Allegro Con Grazia
Weep You No More, Sad Fountains (Transcr. R. Stevenson For Piano)
Spring Song Of The Birds (Transcr. R. Stevenson For Piano)
The Queen's Dolour, Z. 670 "A Farewell" (Transcr. R. Stevenson For Piano)

UPC: 5060113446060
Label: Toccata
Release Date: 5.7.21
Format: CD

Delius / Guild - Piano Music 5 (CD)