Edvard Grieg

Started by Martin Lind, November 09, 2010, 07:49:04 AM

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PaulSC

#20
Op. 72 is my favorite Grieg these days. Such a fascinating sound to them. Your best bets for a complete set are Steen-Nokleberg on Naxos or Pompa-Baldi on Centaur. I'll caution that most or all of the pieces are in the key of D (with characteristic modal sharp "4"), so it can be fatiguing to listen straight through. Still, these are two strong renditions, you might choose between them based on the pairings each disc offers.



There's an older set by Steen-Nokleberg that pairs each piece with a performance of the traditional tune on hardanger fiddle. OP I think, but you could hunt for it. Two recent sets adopt the same idea. Ingfrid Breie Nyhus & Åshild Breie Nyhus on Simax is a complete set, but Ingrid's piano performances are rather insipid and low-energy. Her soft notes don't always speak, and her loud notes never rise above forte. Geir Botnen, Knut Hamre, and Reidun Horvei, also on Simax offer much stronger piano performances (courtesy of Botnen), but they only cover around a half dozen of the Op. 72 pieces. The disc is filled out with selections from the Op. 66 Folk Songs for piano. The "songs" are paired with Horvei's marvelously clear-voiced singing of traditional versions, the "dances" with Hamre's renditions on hardanger fiddle (and in some cases Horvei offers a sung version of the dance tunes). This is a good choice if you don't need a complete set.

EDIT - Happily I was wrong, and the Steen-Nokleberg complete set of Op. 72 pieces paired with (Knut Buen's) fiddle performances is still available (e.g. here). On the Simax label (notice a pattern here?). So this gets promoted to top recommendation.

not edward

Thanks--that's a most useful survey!
"I don't at all mind actively disliking a piece of contemporary music, but in order to feel happy about it I must consciously understand why I dislike it. Otherwise it remains in my mind as unfinished business."
-- Aaron Copland, The Pleasures of Music

mc ukrneal

Quote from: PaulSC on December 16, 2010, 09:24:25 PM
Op. 72 is my favorite Grieg these days. Such a fascinating sound to them. Your best bets for a complete set are Steen-Nokleberg on Naxos or Pompa-Baldi on Centaur. I'll caution that most or all of the pieces are in the key of D (with characteristic modal sharp "4"), so it can be fatiguing to listen straight through. Still, these are two strong renditions, you might choose between them based on the pairings each disc offers.


I have that disc - I quite like it (I have volumes 1-4). I keep waffling on the lyric pieces though, between the partial Gilels and the complete Steen-Nokleberg. I fear I will just get them both in the end. :)
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Ten thumbs

If you like the Holberg Suite on piano as I do you will also enjoy Backer-Grøndahl's G minor Suite, Opus 20, which is on a recording by Geir Henning Braaten. See my new thread on Backer-Grøndahl.
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A look—a word—and we are wholly changed.

PaulSC


SonicMan46

Quote from: PaulSC on December 16, 2010, 09:24:25 PM
Op. 72 is my favorite Grieg these days. Such a fascinating sound to them. Your best bets for a complete set are Steen-Nokleberg on Naxos or .Pompa-Baldi on Centaur.......

 


Paul - I love Grieg - of his piano works, I own first 3 volumes of Steen-Nokleberg, and believe that a FULL set has been released; also have Austbo in the 'Lyric Suites' which I enjoy; I've not even explore the Pompa-Baldi on Centaur offerings - so will be interested in further posts on this topic -  :D

Lethevich



An additional recommendation for his quartet (the so-called "Number 2" is just an unfinished torso). For Grieg, it is remarkably lacking in timidness - the opening movement is wonderfully rustic and and craggy. My preferred recording is the one above, but the CPO recording is fine too.
Peanut butter, flour and sugar do not make cookies. They make FIRE.

The new erato

Seeing those DG covers prompted me to post my favorite Grieg disc:



He was a master of small forms, and with a few exceptions (The Peer Gynt music) I consider his songs along with some of the piano music his best music.

SonicMan46

Quote from: SonicMan46 on November 11, 2010, 04:49:13 AM
A while back I was trying to sort out and increase my collection of Grieg's Solo Piano Music, and then was side-tracked to other composers - since that time a number of boxes have appeared (few shown below).

Currently, I own the Lyric Suites w/ Austbo and 3 Naxos discs w/ Einar Steen-Nökleberg; so 'how many' discs of his solo piano pieces are needed and what are some of the most desirable works?  I do like the Lyric Suites and Austbo's performance, but many others have recorded them -  :D

 

Not sure if there is a Grieg thread just devoted to his piano works but this one has a lot of discussion on these works - above are some options for more 'complete' collections that I've been considering for a while, the performers from left to right are:

Håkon Austbø, Eva Knardahl, Einar Steen-Nökleberg, & Antonio Pompa-Baldi - some of these are now offered as 'box sets' - Pompa-Baldi is on Centaur but seems like separate CD offerings @ the moment - preferences and comments?

WELL, my main reason for bringing this topic up now is that I just returned from a Winston-Salem Symphony concert (my local band!) which featured Antonio Pompa-Baldi in the Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No. 1 w/ our associate conductor; Pompa-Baldi was excellent and performed an encore of a Debussy Prelude; the latter suggested to me that he would likely handle Grieg's piano pieces quite well but I've not heard his performances in these works (and Centaur does not seem to be offering a 'box set' @ present) -  :-\

SO, for one liking Grieg on piano and owning the Lyric Suites w/ Håkon Austbø & only 3 discs of Einar Steen-Nökleberg, WHO do go to for a more COMPLETE collection?  Comments & suggestions appreciated - thanks - Dave

Cato

The Wall Street Journal has an article on Grieg's piano work Opus 22:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324556304578121422902096456.html?mod=ITP_review_0

An excerpt:

...Nowhere, however, does Grieg bare so much of his soul as in his monumental "Ballade in the Form of Variations on a Norwegian Folksong," written for his beloved instrument, the piano. This is Grieg's greatest work for the piano, and it is as visionary as it is elusive: It has still failed to enter into the mainstream of the piano repertoire. There have always been pianists who have championed this work, and they have always been the greats: Eugene D'Albert, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Percy Grainger, Leopold Godowsky, Artur Rubinstein. None has been able to move this work from the fringe, and perhaps that's where it prefers to stay, for those who have the heart to go and find it, most recently Grieg's countryman Leif Ove Andsnes....

Grieg works the four variations of the finale into a frenzy that drives performers to the edge of their abilities as they try to match the intensity Grieg calls for. Finally, at the last moment, just as it seems as if piano and pianist can take no more, Grieg brings the motion to a halt on a low ringing bass octave, which clears away for the return of the opening theme. But now, when we hear it, it is different, for we are not the same anymore. We have heard Grieg's Ballade, and we know what he meant when he said he wrote it "with my life's blood in days of sorrow and despair."

Though a concert pianist himself, Grieg never played his Ballade in public...
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Florestan

Quote from: Cato on December 02, 2012, 12:21:02 PM
The Wall Street Journal has an article on Grieg's piano work Opus 22:

Actually it's op. 24.  :)

Hakon Austbo does a great job with it.
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

SonicMan46

A couple of posts above this one, I was asking about complete collections of Grieg's Piano Music, and pictured 4 sets - I was quite interested in the recordings on Centaur by Antonio Pompa-Baldi who I had seen in concert recently.  For those who may in interested, I contacted Mr. Pompa-Baldi and we had a number of pleasant email exchanges - he also contacted Centaur about whether these  (now 12 discs w/ the Piano Concerto) would be released in a box @ a reduced price (e.g. presently selling for $18 each at Arkiv!); he also gave me a contact there and the bottom line was NO box in the immediate future (if ever); however, I was offered a reduced price of $12 per CD if I purchased the dozen discs - well w/ S/H that would be about $150 - I already have 6 CDs of these works by other performers, so not interested @ that price.

But, could I obtain at least some of these cheaper?  So went to BRO and found the 3 below for $6 each; also the Amazon MP had a few @ $7 (of course w/ the additional $3 S/H) - just finished a first listen to the three recordings - excellent, as I expected - for those who do not have the 'Violin Sonatas' and shop @ BRO, a strong recommendation - Dave :)

   

snyprrr

I have the Jarvi/DG disc of Grieg drool-inducers (Holberg Suite, Lyric Pieces...) at the ready. It's 95°. Play now or wait till dusk????

snyprrr

Quote from: snyprrr on July 17, 2013, 11:47:31 AM
I have the Jarvi/DG disc of Grieg drool-inducers (Holberg Suite, Lyric Pieces...) at the ready. It's 95°. Play now or wait till dusk????

Well, only 2 Pages for Grieg. How embarrassing.

snyprrr

Sooomeone better Reply to the Grieg Thread!! >:D SHOCKING!! :o

Mandryka

#35
Quote from: Cato on December 02, 2012, 12:21:02 PM
The Wall Street Journal has an article on Grieg's piano work Opus 22:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324556304578121422902096456.html?mod=ITP_review_0

An excerpt:

...Nowhere, however, does Grieg bare so much of his soul as in his monumental "Ballade in the Form of Variations on a Norwegian Folksong," written for his beloved instrument, the piano. This is Grieg's greatest work for the piano, and it is as visionary as it is elusive: It has still failed to enter into the mainstream of the piano repertoire. There have always been pianists who have championed this work, and they have always been the greats: Eugene D'Albert, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Percy Grainger, Leopold Godowsky, Artur Rubinstein. None has been able to move this work from the fringe, and perhaps that's where it prefers to stay, for those who have the heart to go and find it, most recently Grieg's countryman Leif Ove Andsnes....

Grieg works the four variations of the finale into a frenzy that drives performers to the edge of their abilities as they try to match the intensity Grieg calls for. Finally, at the last moment, just as it seems as if piano and pianist can take no more, Grieg brings the motion to a halt on a low ringing bass octave, which clears away for the return of the opening theme. But now, when we hear it, it is different, for we are not the same anymore. We have heard Grieg's Ballade, and we know what he meant when he said he wrote it "with my life's blood in days of sorrow and despair."

Though a concert pianist himself, Grieg never played his Ballade in public...


Did Rachmaninov record it? I've never heard the D'Albert either, is it on a CD? Is it any good? I think I enjoy Austbø most of all in this.

The other Grieg I remember enjoying was the all Grieg concert Richter gave in Budapest, his final concert maybe - or was that a Mozart concerto concert with PC 18 and Beshai?

I've never enjoyed anything by Andsnes, who just seems to me to be a virtuoso pianist with zero to say. If that.

Anyway in the right hands op 24 and a selection of Lyric Pieces can hit the spot.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Octave

#36
Three questions about some chamber music items/editions:

1. Are there any remastering/sound differences between these two editions of Von Otter's Grieg recital?


(1993/2007)

2. Has anyone heard the recordings that comprise both of the little Brilliant 'Complete Chamber Music' sets?  Are either of them very good throughout?  Do you prefer one over the other?  (There seems to be no overlap between the two.)


(2004/2013)

3. Any recommendations for some other recordings would be appreciated.  I think I am most interested in songs and chamber music.  I will probably need some more piano music: I know almost nothing of the latter aside from bits here and there....a couple volumes of the Steen-Nokleberg series, the famous Gilels disc, and I will probably be following some of Paul's recommendations above.
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Moonfish

Grieg: Peer Gynt Suites 1 & 2, Op. 46 & 55 

Berliner Philharmoniker/Karajan


It doesn't seem like Grieg is getting much love here at GMG  :'( [I hear you Snyprrr!]. I guess that his piano concerto and Peer Gynt Suite are the only pieces that are commonly encountered in the repertoire apart from some of his solo piano pieces (e.g. Lyric Pieces). I kind of grew up with the music from Peer Gynt so it was a pleasure to revisit this recording. I actually listened to it in association with my family's solstice celebration yesterday. As kids we used to dance around to In the Hall of the Mountain King. It kind of reminds me of a fairy tale version of Ravel's Bolero. Our teachers used to play Aase's Death in the classroom to showcase composers and so on. Today I feel great warmth from listening to these pieces and I sense a very strong connection to some of Sibelius's works. I feel as if Karajan and the BP certainly give Grieg justice with a powerful and vivid performance in great sound. Perhaps too much on the heroic side, but it does fit the music very well. An excellent recording!

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Jo498

Nice as the suites are I think that they do not do justice to the piece they are extracted from (similar to Nutcracker and Swanlake). Peer Gynt is much more interesting with the choir and the whole incidental music.

Because someone above asked for lieder and chamber music. I have not heard the Brilliant set but the Otter disc is one of the best things she recorded and if you care at all about 19th century lieder you should get it (no idea about the remastering as it is a fairly recent recording anyway I do not expect big differences, I own the newer issue).
DG also has a very nice recording of the violin sonatas (Dumay) that is recommendable. I think Heifetz played one of them, also Oistrakh but these are more or less historical sound quality and all 3 sonatas are worth listening to. The cello sonata is also nice, and of course the g minor string quartet; there is another quartet fragment that has also been completed by other musicians. But the g minor is a rather weighty piece and there are quite a few recordings.

The early piano sonata is rather forgettable; a more interesting piece is the so-called Ballade which is actually a series of variations; Rubinstein recorded that one, together with a bunch of lyrical pieces. Gilels' DG anthology of the lyric pieces is also essential.
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- Blaise Pascal

Wanderer

Quote from: Moonfish on June 22, 2015, 01:23:40 PM
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This is a super-fine recording (and - off-topic - my absolute favourite rendition of the Sibelius Pelléas et Mélisande, thrillingly officiated by Karajan). Glad you discovered it.