Neeme Järvi’s survey of Grieg’s orchestral works always has been highly regarded, combining idiomatic interpretations and vibrant sound from Gothenburg’s splendid orchestra and acoustically inviting concert hall. The most substantial works, the complete Peer Gynt and Sigurd Jorsalfar, formed a full-priced DG box. Now they’re the backbone of this new mid-priced 6-CD set from DG’s Collectors Edition. The recordings, made between 1986 and 1993, are all largely self-recommending. The only minor caveats apply to the shorter, small-scale pieces. There’s a Holberg Suite that might have been more convincing had smaller forces been employed instead of what sounds like a scarcely reduced full string section. Järvi leads assertively, and his players follow his nicely tailored rubatos carefully enough, but everything sounds too big to be properly intimate as Grieg intended, especially in the Sarabande and Air.
It’s a pity that Järvi doesn’t make more of the subtle colors of the Lyric Suite, or demonstrate more affection for the lovely Elegiac Melodies. One point of interest is that in the Lyric Suite he restores the bell-ringing (“Klokkeklang”) effects that Grieg omitted from the final version, effects that add a particularly evocative aspect here. But sometimes the performances seem fussy and businesslike, lacking the flow and flexibility that smaller forces could provide, and you’ll probably find Neville Marriner’s 1994 Hänssler Classic accounts more pleasing. Järvi’s readings of the more rugged and folksy Norwegian Dances and Symphonic Dances are another matter. Both are superlative–thoughtfully directed and again excellently played.
There remains the outstanding complete Peer Gynt, with a strong vocal cast led by Barbara Bonney (Solveig), Urban Malmberg (Peer Gynt), and Marianne Eklof (Anitra), with attractive instrumental solos by Knut Buen (Hardanger-fiddle) and Paul Cortese (viola). Järvi can be rather mannered, though, and there are moments of stiffness in “The death of Ǻse” and other slower, more reflective passages. There’s simply no better recording of Sigurd Jorsalfar than this one, but Virgin’s 1991 version of the rarely heard C minor Symphony with the Bergen Philharmonic under Dmitri Kitaenko is more lyrical and lucid than Järvi’s. This set also includes Lilya Zilberstein’s accomplished account of the piano concerto along with Grieg’s orchestral songs. The concerto brings some truly inspired moments (the slow movement is beautifully atmospheric) and some horribly bombastic ones too;, but if you go for this set, its value lies in its completeness, which is unmatched at the price.
