About this Release
“I came across the piano music of Raymond Hanson almost by accident while exploring scores of 20th century Australian sonatas. The opening of Hanson’s Sonata Op. 12 struck me at once as something compelling and unique. I immediately set out to find more about him. To my astonishment I found numerous piano works in library and conservatorium archives, many unpublished and unrecorded. His music was strikingly original, sophisticated, and endlessly inventive. An idealistic, unconventional man, he had a natural gift for composition and unflinching integrity in his creative vision. He composed at the keyboard, and his work has an improvisatory quality, perhaps influenced by his love of jazz. His larger works abound in technical fireworks and bravura passages. Profoundly inspired by the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, his slow movements frequently have a meditative, spiritual character. From the preludes evoking the natural beauty of Australia’s Blue Mountains to the great war sonata inspired by the tragic events of WWII, Hanson’s piano music is an extraordinary journey, presented here in its entirety for the first time.” — Tonya Lemoh
HANSON, RAYMOND CHARLES (1913–1976)
Complete Piano Works
- Tonya Lemoh, piano
The piano works of the largely self-taught Australian composer Raymond Hanson are unparalleled in 20th-century Australian music. Ranging over four decades they exemplify an iconoclastic spirit whose spontaneous writing is accompanied by a visionary wit and dynamism. This premier complete collection of Hanson’s piano oeuvre includes the Piano Sonata, Op. 12—one of his greatest works, full of restless motoric rhythms and reflective contrasts—and many world première recordings, all performed by the award-winning pianist Tonya Lemoh.
This recording was made on a modern instrument: Steinway, Model D
Tracklist
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1
On Holidays, Op. 1 (1933) (00:02:47)
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2
Quizzic, Op. 9 (1940) (00:02:17)
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3
Piano Sonatina, Op. 26 (1949) (00:13:05)
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Piano Sonata, Op. 12 (1940) (00:22:00 )
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4
I. — (00:08:59)
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5
II. Andante espressivo (00:05:43)
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6
III. — (00:07:13)
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7
Idylle in D Major, Op. 15 (1942) (00:04:26)
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8
Procrastination, Op. 8 (1939) (00:04:03)
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5 Piano Pieces () (00:06:00 )
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9
No. 1. Brioso (00:01:35)
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10
No. 2. Rubato (00:01:34)
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11
No. 3. Ben marcato (00:00:29)
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12
No. 4. With great freedom (00:01:59)
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13
No. 5. Toccata (00:00:46)
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1
Episodes on Tarry Trowsers, Op. 24 (1948) (00:17:00)
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2
Balmoral Beach () (00:01:33)
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3
The Garden Seat (1974) (00:01:46)
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Preludes, Op. 11 (1941) (00:14:00 )
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4
Prelude No. 1 (00:02:41)
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5
Prelude No. 2 (00:02:52)
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6
Prelude No. 3 (00:02:30)
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7
Prelude No. 4 (00:01:36)
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8
Prelude No. 5 (00:01:35)
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9
Prelude No. 6 (00:02:13)
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10
Flight (1974) (00:02:25)
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My Day, Op. 43 (1960) (00:06:00 )
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11
No. 1. The Morning Sun (00:00:33)
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12
No. 2. Off to School (00:00:33)
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13
No. 3. Midday Heat (00:01:50)
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14
No. 4. Afternoon Swim (00:00:46)
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15
No. 5. Feeling Sleepy (00:01:11)
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16
No. 6. Song of the Night (00:00:52)
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5 Portraits, Op. 23 (1948) (00:10:00 )
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17
No. 1. Daddy Bach (00:01:46)
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18
No. 2. King Arthur (00:02:02)
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19
No. 3. Hans Andersen (00:02:03)
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20
No. 4. Scrooge (00:02:44)
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21
No. 5. Ginger Meggs (00:01:24)
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The Artist(s)
Australian/Sierra Leonean pianist Tonya Lemoh is known for her focus on unusual and exotic repertoire. Praised by Gramophone magazine and All Music Guide, her concert appearances and recordings have consistently garnered critical acclaim. Lemoh has won several international awards, including First Prizes in the ‘21st century Art Competition’ (International Association of Art and Education in the 21st Century, Helsingor 2003), and the Royal Academy of Music (Aarhus) Concerto Competition, and a Diplôme d’honneur in the International Edvard Grieg Piano Competition. Lemoh holds performance degrees from conservatoriums in Australia, the US and Denmark, and completed doctoral studies at the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music, Australia. A keen interpreter of new music, she has performed and recorded for ABC Radio, Danish National Radio and Danish television. The Composer(s)
Raymond Charles Hanson was a highly gifted, prolific Australian composer whose career spanned a diverse and complex era in Australian music history. A largely self-taught creative visionary, his career was negatively impacted partly by the lack of support for Australian composers in the first half of the 20th century. Nonetheless, he became the leading lecturer in composition at the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music and was later appointed a Member of the Order of Australia. The sophistication and originality of his piano compositions is especially remarkable considering how little formal training he received. During his lifetime, his piano works were performed by several renowned pianists, including Walter Gieseking, Rudolf Firkušný and Ignaz Friedman. The body of work he composed for the piano is unique and unparalleled in 20th-century Australian piano repertoire. Reviews
“Lemoh is a sensitive and shrewd interpreter of all these pieces. Her tone is big and warm, but she can play with sharpness and a keen sense of irony when necessary.” – American Record Guide
“Aussie pianist unearths a treasure trove from a forgotten composer.” – Limelight
Also Available
Grand Piano has gained a reputation for producing high quality recordings of rare keyboard gems. Dedicated to the exploration of undiscovered piano repertoire, the label specialises in complete cycles of piano works by many lesser-known composers, whose output might otherwise have remained unknown and unrecorded.
- info@grandpianorecords.com
