Ronald Stevenson
A WEE HOLIDAY SUITE for recorder and piano
Bardic Edition BDE1158
A wee holiday suite for descant recorder (or flute) and piano was written during a visit to the Percy Grainger home in White Plains, New York State in May 1978. The visit was primarily to celebrate the 89th birthday of Grainger’s widow Ella for which Ronald Stevenson presented a special piano recital in the Fry Studio, White Plains. He was accompanied on this trip by the co-founder of the Percy Grainger Society, Barry Peter Ould for whom he coined the nickname ‘Bipo’, suggesting that his travelling companion was similar, in some ways to an extra member of the Marx brothers. Three of the movements relate to the various actions of ‘Bipo’ (1, 3 and 5) whilst the two other movements relate to Teresa Balough (2), who published the first ever catalogue of works by Grainger and Ulla Lundin (Ella Grainger’s niece from Sweden) and Ella Grainger herself (4). The title refers to the daily routine of walking Ella around the veranda of the Grainger house for exercise.