SACDs - Grieg

Sviatoslav Richter (1915-97) left behind the extraordinary legacy of a highly sensitive, angst-ridden yet ultimately serene musician, a true monstre sacré, a perfectionist in search of the absolute. This duo of 'nationalist' concertos by Grieg and Dvorák featured only briefly in his repertoire. The uncharacteristic liberty of his playing and the sense of exultation is astounding, illuminating these romantic compositions based on national folklore. They form a unique, totally unprecedented combination.

The Hagen Quartet won the ECHO KLASSIC award in 2011 in the Ensemble of the Year category, for their previous release on myrios classics (Hagen Quartett 30 MYR 006). Here they present the second release commemorating their 30th anniversary and perform Grieg’s introspective String Quartet and Brahms’ retrospective Clarinet Quintet with Jörg Widmann.

Edvard Grieg wanted to give Norway its unique voice within European concert repertoire, and he did that with songs, piano pieces, and particularly with his symphonic works, to be released by Audite in a 5-volume complete recording with Eivind Aadland and the WDR Symphony Orchestra.

This first SACD presents Grieg’s principal collections: his four Symphonic Dances of 1898, where the composer draws on his experiences as a conductor of the leading European orchestras; and his two suites from the incidental music to Henrik Ibsen’s drama Peer Gynt, the story of the “Nordic Faust” which inspired Grieg to compose a sonic panorama of the Norwegian character: from the melancholy song of the abandoned Solveig to the furious chase in the Hall of the Mountain King.

Eivind Aadland’s roots in the Norwegian folk tradition audibly influence his interpretations. He comes from a family where folk music played an important role and as a child he came into intensive contact with Grieg’s music. Aadland was chief conductor and artistic director of the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra from 2003 until 2010 and has also worked with many other international orchestras. He initially studied the violin with Yehudi Menuhin and from 1981 until 1989 he was concert master of the Bergen Philharmonic. From 1987 until 1997 he was music director of the European Union Chamber Orchestra. He has subsequently devoted himself fully to his conducting career and studies with Jorma Panula.

Parallel to the release of the first SACD, a video will be available which will be also presented on www.audite. de. The second volume is scheduled for release in August.

On this disc, Richard Tognetti and the Australian Chamber Orchestra play string works by Edvard Grieg.

The ACO perform perennial favourites such as the Holberg Suite and the two Elegiac Melodies, Grieg’s own orchestrations of two of his best-loved songs: Last Spring and The Wounded Heart.

The programme also includes Richard Tognetti’s adaptation of String Quartet No.1 and the ravishingly lyrical piano composition Erotikk from the composer’s celebrated collection of Lyric Pieces.

Previous recordings with Tognetti and the ACO on BIS including Mozart’s violin concerti (BISSACD1754 and BISSACD1755), have been met with critical acclaim: Gramophone’s described the team as ‘an outstanding band’ with ‘a keen individual and collective feel for style and character’, and The Observer praised their ‘gloriously exciting, tangy edged, alert and playful sound.’