Grieg Piano

Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) was at the forefront of a flourishing of creativity that took place in Scandinavian culture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, alongside his contemporaries, Nielsen and Sibelius. His imagination was particularly fired by the folk music and stories of his native Norway. His catchy tunes, lively rhythms and haunting musical evocations of the majestic Norwegian landscapes have made Grieg immensely popular with a wide audience.

With this fiery version of Schumann’s piano concerto, the discography of the amazing Finnish conductor Paavo Berglund is now fully available digitally! It is coupled with other masterpieces of the concertante repertoire, including Grieg the quite rare Glazunov, and performed with undisputable mastery by genius soloist John Ogdon.

With this fiery version of Schumann’s piano concerto, the discography of the amazing Finnish conductor Paavo Berglund is now fully available digitally! It is coupled with other masterpieces of the concertante repertoire, including Grieg the quite rare Glazunov, and performed with undisputable mastery by genius soloist John Ogdon.

For his third recording on Naïve / Ambroisie, and following an extremely successful Rachmaninov sonatas recording, Nikolai Lugansky pairs with one of the most refined conductors, Kent Nagano (with whom he already recorded several successful discs) and the excellent DSO-Berlin to perform brilliant, breathtaking performances of the virtuoso Grieg and Prokofiev Piano Concertos.

One of the greatest pianists of the twentieth century, Emil Gilels (1916-1985) possessed a fearless technical facility and a highly cultivated tone control that freed him to follow his interpretive instincts. In this program, Gilels plays two masterpieces of the concerto repertoire: Grieg's Piano Concerto and Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3. Both works are conducted by Paavo Berglund, leading the Philharmonia Orchestra in the Beethoven and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in the Grieg. Live performances, Finlandia Hall, Helsinki, 1983 (Grieg) /1984 (Beethoven). 86 min., Color, mono, 4:3, All regions.

Andrey Gugnin presents a wonderful all-Grieg recital. The elegant neo-classicism of From Holberg's time (a rare and welcome opportunity to hear the original version for solo piano) contrasting with the brooding magnificence of the Ballade. Two complete sets of Lyric Pieces- those most perfect of piano miniatures-are also included.

Andrey Gugnin presents a wonderful all-Grieg recital. The elegant neo-classicism of From Holberg's time (a rare and welcome opportunity to hear the original version for solo piano) contrasting with the brooding magnificence of the Ballade. Two complete sets of Lyric Pieces- those most perfect of piano miniatures-are also included.

Murray Perahia's account of the Grieg Concerto is utterly absorbing. The playing is brilliant, but the pianist's approach–more Chopinesque than Lisztian–keeps that brilliance at the service of larger expressive goals. The result is a performance aglow with understated intensity, one in which the prevalent feeling is often melancholy, at times even bleak. Sir Colin Davis draws a wonderfully refined accompaniment from the Bavarian orchestra in this live reading of the score. The recording, from Munich's Philharmonic Hall, is excellent and effectively captures the beautiful tone Perahia coaxes from his piano.

The massive popularity of Grieg’s Piano Concerto contributed significantly to his renown, marking a high point in his early period. This is a truly Romantic concerto with parallels to Schumann in its emphasis on melodic lines. The overture In Autumn has an air of Mendelssohn in its sense of drama combined with a ‘union of merry and serious elements’ that characterise the season. The Two Lyric Pieces and the Old Norwegian Melody with Variations provide an attractive mosaic of Norwegian mood pictures. The Elite Recordings for Vox by legendary producers Marc Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz are considered by audiophiles to be amongst the finest sounding examples of orchestral recordings.