Grieg: Symphonic Dances (4), Op. 64

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.

This third volume of ‘Scandinavian Classics’ interpreted by the Danish State Radio Symphony Orchestra in recordings made between 1949-1953 is devoted to music from Norway and Finland. This fine release represents recordings from one of the most admired radio orchestras in Western Europe.

Grieg is not a composer whom one associates particularly with Sir John Barbirolli, but of his complete sympathy with it there has never been any doubt. In October 1933 Barbirolli and Backhaus were recording the Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor together.

The time came for a test of the slow movement, which opens with a beautiful theme for muted strings, and when Backhaus was due to come in he looked up from the piano and said: “What a pity the piano has to come in ans spoil that! Wasn’t it charming!” In 1957 Barbirolli returned to Grieg and recorded the Symphonic Dances for Pye and in 1969 he recorded twelve movements from the Peer Gynt music for EMI.

Barbirolli recorded the Norwegian Dances, Lyric Suite and Homage March from 'Sigurd Jorsalfor' for EMI at the Abbey Road Studios August 1969 and May 1970. The Symphonic Dances were recorded at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester for Pye on 9 and 10 August 1957.