The Norwegian composer/pianist Agathe Backer Grøndahl (1847-1907) was highly esteemed by her contemporaries both in Norway and on the continent. A contemporary of Edvard Grieg, she often performed his A minor piano concerto, and among her teachers were Hans von Bülow and Franz Liszt. George Bernard Shaw considered her one of the greatest pianists of the age and gave equal praise to her compositions. Grøndahl’s extensive compositional output comprises 70 opus numbers that include more than 400 songs and piano pieces. Geir Henning Braaten offers a generous selection of piano works, whose harmonic language and penchant for evocative, high-register textures sometimes smacks of Grieg, although the meaty, orchestral piano writing recalls Schumann’s dynamism filtered through Anton Rubinstein’s conventional mind (especially the Op. 11 and Op. 22 Etudes). Liszt’s pianistic savvy also is evident, but none of his restless creative spirit.
Like most minor Romantic-era fare, Grøndahl is best sampled in single doses, or a single opus number at the most. Braaten plays these works with both a sure instinct for the idiom and a habit of making ritards at many phrase endings. He really lets loose, though, in the Op. 15 Trois Morceaux, where he plays the contrasts between sections to the proverbial hilt. Piano collectors looking for rare, untapped, and fairly appealing repertoire should check out this release.
