EMI’s Grieg two-fer offers a generous sampling of the composer’s orchestral works, with a few piano pieces thrown in for good measure. Paavo Berglund leads vibrant performances of Symphonic Dances and Old Norwegian Romance, with the Bournemouth Symphony playing beautifully throughout. The Holberg Suite and Two Elegiac Melodies receive refined, characterful readings with Paul Tortelier at the helm of the Northern Sinfonia.
John Barbirolli weighs in with his typically warm, big-hearted renditions of the Lyric Suite, Norwegian Dances, and “Homage March” from Sigurd Jorsalfar, featuring the Hallé Orchestra on its best behavior, while Thomas Beecham highlights the romantic drama of Grieg’s early symphonic poem, In Autumn. Finally, Daniel Adni offers emotionally charged, finely nuanced playing in Grieg’s Lyric Pieces from Op. 12 and 38, including the exuberant Spring Dance and the poignant Canon. While better performances of some of the indvidual works are available (Järvi’s Symphonic Dances and Lyric Suite, for instance), overall this is a pleasing collection, boasting sound that ranges from excellent in the newer recordings (Berglund, Tortelier) to pretty decent (Barbirolli, Beecham), with Adni’s piano recordings betraying a bit of tape hiss.
