Naxos’ ongoing series of Grieg orchestral music has been offering performances basically as fine as any in the catalog. These performances of the two canonical Peer Gynt Suites are gorgeous, perfectly paced, and thrillingly recorded. I particularly enjoyed Engeset’s ability to keep the melody clearly audible at the big climax of In the Hall of the Mountain King, without any loss of frenzy. Peer Gynt’s Homecoming benefits from the recording’s wide dynamic range, while the gentler numbers such as Ase’s Death and Solveig’s Song are as heartfelt as anyone could ask.
The remainder of the program consists of Grieg’s songs with orchestra, including the vocal versions of Solveig’s two numbers from Peer Gynt. Soprano Inger Dam-Jensen sings beautifully, with a warm tone and excellent diction. This is repertoire that she handles effortlessly. Baritone Palle Knudson has a touch of unsteadiness to his voice that sometimes becomes distracting, particularly as he has the longest vocal number here (The Mountain Thrall). Still, there’s no questioning his command of the language or his ability to inflect a phrase, and with such fine accompaniments this program overall earns a firm recommendation.
