Hakon Austbo - Grieg: Centenary Edition
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Free Music Notes for Grieg: Centenary Edition
Free Music Review: Has all of the Songs, but Piano works poorly played
Hit: 3 Stars
This 21 CD Grieg Edition on Brilliant Classics, specially prepared for the Grieg Centenary, is an analog to the 40 CD Brilliant Classic boxed sets of other composers; it's just that Grieg didn't write enough music to fill 40 CDs, it would appear!
The set presents all of the songs on 7 CDs, conveyed by 3 soloists, soprano Marianne Hirsti--adequate; tenor Kjell Magnus Sandve---good; and baritone Knut Skram---exceptional; the piano accompaniments are adequately performed, unobtrusive but also not particularly inspired, either. At least the choice of 3 singers essaying the songs offers an alternative to the BIS series, on 5 CDs so far, with Monica Groop as the sole voice (at least in 3 of the CDs).
The piano music is also presented on 7 CDs, covering all of the major works, omitting many of the fragments, and endless Norwegian Melodies and piano transcriptions of all of the orchestral works that are offered in the 14 CD complete Grieg piano music on Naxos. However, the pianist on the Naxos set (who also performs some of the works on the harmonium and organ), Einar Steen-Nokleberg, is an infinitely greater musician than the pianist here, Hakon Austbo. Just listen to any of the more melancholy, lyrical and sentimental Lyric Pieces; aside from an often abrasive piano tone, Hakon Austbo seems incapable of conveying real lyricism. (I am surprised that he can show his face in public, after recording such an unmusical, rushed, insensitive performance of the beloved Nocturne, as presented here.) So don't give away your Naxos 14 CD complete Grieg piano music set!
The set presents all of the Chamber Music, with the unfinished second String Quartet presented in the full 4 movement completion by Julius Rontgen, making this more desirable than the BIS CD; it also includes the piano trio movement.
The set skimps in the choral music (omitting all but one of the Op. 30 choral settings), and also the orchestral music (omitting the Symphony, a number of the smaller lyric works for orchestra, several obscure tone poems, melodramas, as well as the complete Peer Gynt incidental music). The Piano Concerto performance is the lethargic Bolet/Chailly, Bolet demonstrating beautiful tone throughout, but not a whiff of passion or drama, every emotion seemingly restrained to the point of inertia in the finale, with the first movement cadenza particularly lacking in grandeur, brilliance and sheer drama. You will need to keep your DG Complete Grieg orchestral music boxed 6 CD set, I fear, as many of the lesser known works, including melodramas and tone poems, are included there but not here, as well as the complete Peer Gynt (all conducted on the DG set by Neeme Jarvi; and the piano concerto in THAT set is surprisingly well played, by Lilya Zilberstein). All that is offered here from Peer Gynt are the two familiar suites, conducted by Ermler, adequate but nothing special.
Brilliant Classics might have been cleverer to aim for completeness, as with just a half dozen or so more CDs that might have been possible here. As it is, the main glories of this boxed set are the complete songs, and the chamber music. If these aren't what you are looking for in your Grieg collection, then avoid this 21 CD set. You will be better served elsewhere in terms of the piano music, orchestral music, and (on Simax)with the choral music.