When Edvard Grieg was invited to compose incidental music for the fairytale play Peer Gynt by his eminent compatriot Henrik Ibsen, it stimulated the Norwegian composer's growing nationalistic style. Filled with hummable tunes such as "Morning Mood" and "In the Hall of the Mountain King," these suites have joined that rare company of concert pieces known and loved by almost everyone. The distinguished Herbert Von Karajan gives a grippingly dramatic reading here, with the awe-inspiring Berlin Philharmonic captured in spacious sound. In particular, the sumptuous Berlin strings in the wonderful Holberg Suite evoke the crisp air of the Scandinavian landscape.
Featured On
- Vienna Philharmonic & James Levine
- Sir Simon Rattle & Vienna Philharmonic
- Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Kurt Masur, New York Philharmonic & Nikolaus Harnoncourt
- London Symphony Orchestra & Claudio Abbado
- Peter Hurford, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Philharmonia Orchestra & Charles Dutoit
- Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim, Martha Argerich & Nelson Freire
- Emil Gilels & Sir Colin Davis