Among the works recorded in 1934 were four pieces by Percy Grainger, who wrote Ormandy in April 1935 praising the recordings and exclaiming that they were "a new milestone in my life as a composer." In the letter, Grainger proposes that they record some of his compositions for piano and orchestra. That was not to happen, since O'Connell was in complete control of the selection of repertory, but the correspondence did lead to guest appearances by Grainger with the Minneapolis Symphony in 1936.

Fig. 1 and Fig. 2: On the second page of the letter, Grainger writes, "Yesterday (before hearing your recordings) I was a composer without a perfect orchestra record of my compositions. Today (after hearing your records) I know the privilege of seeing that I too can be perfectly interpreted, when a genius & a master band starts to record me."

Fig. 3 and Fig. 4: Grainger's correspondence with Ormandy led to a trip to Minnesota and a guest appearance with the Minneapolis Symphony. Three Grainger works were on the program: two for piano and orchestra and one for harmonium and orchestra, with Grainger at the keyboard for all three.