Edvard Hagerup Grieg

Edvard Grieg was the father of Norwegian music; his most famous pieces are the Piano Concerto in A Minor and the incidental music to Peer Gynt. Sent to study at the conservatory of Leipzig during his teens, his compositions show a thorough grounding in the European Romantic tradition, although his later works explore the idea of a national Norwegian style.

His chamber music showcases the way in which he actively sought to weave the characteristics of Norwegian popular music into accepted compositional forms and styles. Grieg himself said of the violin sonatas: ‘They are representative of the three periods of my evolution: the first naïve and full of melodic ideas, the second nationalistic, and the third turning to much vaster horizons.’ The quartet in G Minor initially proved a problem for the composer, but it is nonetheless a triumph, brimming with impressive moments such as the beauty of the pastoral reverie and the relentless rhythm of the energetic finale. The collection also includes the Cello Concerto in A Minor – written for Grieg’s brother John, an amateur cellist – the String Quartet No.2 in F and the Andante con moto for piano trio.

The recording boasts a wealth of renowned chamber musicians; among them are the Moscow Trio, an ensemble that has achieved great success in Europe. Also featured are acclaimed performers such as Alexander Vinnitsky, Vladimir Ovchinnikov and Alexander Rudin.

World Première Recordings

Orchestrated by Henning Kraggerud and Bernt Simen Lund

Grieg is one of the world’s best known composers, but the three Violin Sonatas are a relatively unfamiliar part of his output, despite being among his own favourite pieces. Grieg never wrote a violin concerto, and the foremost Norwegian violinist of his generation, Henning Kraggerud, assisted by Bernt Simen Lund, a member of the Tromsø Chamber Orchestra, has taken up the challenge of creating three new concertos from the sonatas. In these arrangements the solo violin is set against a string orchestra augmented by wind instruments in order to retain the feel of chamber music.

28CD & 1DVD (NTSC Region 0)

Released on the RCA Red Seal label, this stunning budget-priced boxset brings together for the first time all the live & studio recordings of legendary pianist Harvey Lavan ‘Van’ Cliburn - from his 1958 debut recordings of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Rachmaninov’s No. 3 to his personal selections of favourite Chopin, Brahms & Debussy pieces, the popular album of Favourite Encores to his last recording for RCA with Brahms pieces, released in 1977. Also contains a CD with selections from his performances in Moscow in 1972, as well as the DVD “Van Cliburn, Concert Pianist”, a film by Peter Rosen.

Karajan Adagio is the most successful classical collection of all time with nearly 4 million units sold since 1993. It has now been re-engineered, re-titled, and newly compiled for the 21st century.

“Adagio Karajan” was the ORIGINAL CLASSICAL CHILL-OUT ALBUM. Over two-and-a-half hours of the world’s most relaxing music – from the most accomplished conductor of all time. Emphasizing classical music’s unique power in transporting the listener away from the stresses and strains of modern-day living - All over the world, consumers are searching for an escape, and the soothing sounds of “Karajan Adagio” can provide that.

“Adagio” – the literal translation is “at ease”, with a slowness, with a tranquillity, and with a longing – the perfect antidote to the relentless pace of modern global living.

The years 1919-24 saw Fritz Kreisler re-establish himself after the First World War. Initial hostility to him in America was eventually overcome, and the resumption of his recording schedule saw a steady stream of inimitable offerings from the most beloved violinist of the time. There are rarities in this sequence of acoustic sides, not least his recording of black American Clarence Cameron White’s spiritual setting and an elusive 1921 recording of Charles Dawes’s Melody in A. Additionally, Kreisler never rerecorded his beautiful performance of his own Aucassin and Nicolette.

Ward Marston, producer and audio restoration producer