The thicker the textures, the sweeter the pianism seems to be Leslie Howard’s modus operandi. He can reduce the simplest lyrical utterance of Liszt to soggy boredom, yet pile through the intractable Liszt/Berlioz Symphony fantastique with no effort at all. And so it is with this pianist’s Percy Grainger. The best played items in this well-programmed anthology are selections that burst at the seams with chattering polyphony and deliciously slapdash chordal outbursts, like the Jutish Medley, Molly on the Shore, Shepherd’s Hey, and the famous Country Gardens with its lavacious, trombone-like left-hand licks. However, simpler fare ruminates to the point where the melodic thread is compromised. The “In A Nutshell” suite, with its premonitions of Henry Cowell and Lou Harrison, resonates to punchier effect in its orchestral garb, yet Howard invests its solo-piano incarnation with enough color and pizzazz to rouse your neighbors if you play this disc too loud. On the whole, a fine disc, and very well recorded. [6/22/2000]
