Grieg Symphony in C minor

[sdtom]

I wonder what the general opinion is of what recording to get?
Tom

[Alan Howe]

Andersen (Decca Eloquence) is excellent - and cheap! Lovely work, by the way.

[Christo]

No problem with people enjoying it, of course. Speaking for myself, I tend to agree with the Hurwitzer's verdict: "a faceless work that the composer was right to dismiss." 

[Alan Howe]

I wouldn't make any great claims for the piece, but I'm personally glad it survived. It's the work of a very gifted young composer, so it's bound to be derivative. But who cares? It's delightful.

[Mark Thomas]

It's years since I've listened to Grieg's Symphony and I've retained no memory whatsoever of it - maybe that's a consequence of it being derivative? I'd better dig it out tomorrow and give it a spin.

[TerraEpon]

It's a nice piece. Not a masterwork but certainly on the level or better than many other works talked about on this forum.

[sdtom]

I'll look into the Decca eloquence version.

[petershott@btinternet.com]

I recall that 10 years ago (or so) the indefatigable Neeme Jarvi with the Gothenburg SO brought out a 5CD box on DG of just about all Grieg's orchestral works.

That formed my introduction to the Grieg symphony. And Alan is spot on in referring to it as 'delightful'. Of course it is one of those works that is both derivative and hardly sufficient to change music history. But so utterly what? It bursts with vitality and energy, and heaven help us if we lived solely on a diet of masterpieces. So I really don't give tuppence for Hurwitz's assertion that it is a faceless work that Grief was right to dismiss. That is entirely Mr Hurwitz's loss, sad man that he is.

A roundabout way of saying that the Jarvi version is very good indeed, and I believe the 'constituents' of that 5 CD box are now all available as low price single discs.

[Mark Thomas]

I'm so pleased that I've been prodded into giving this work a second chance. I enjoyed it very much this afternoon. Not great music and rather anonymous, we all agree, but if it was a piece of juvenilia by an unsung composer I'd have been pretty impressed. The first movement struck me as full of ideas and capable of sustaining its length in the same way that those, on the face of it, over long movements in Dvorák's early symphonies never quite run out of steam. I wasn't so struck by the middle two movements but the finale has more than enough get-up-and-go. Great fun.

[M. Henriksen]

I would recommend two recordings of the Symphony, both played by Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. The first one is an old Virgin CD with Dmitrij Kitajenko conducting, and the second form a part of BIS' wonderful series of Grieg's complete orchestral works on SACD. This time Ole Kristian Ruud stands at the podium.


Morten

[Ilja]

I would recommend two recordings of the Symphony, both played by Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. The first one is an old Virgin CD with Dmitrij Kitajenko conducting, and the second form a part of BIS' wonderful series of Grieg's complete orchestral works on SACD. This time Ole Kristian Ruud stands at the podium.

Seconded, great recording. The Bjarte Engeset one isn't bad, either.

As to the piece, I'm really rather fond of it - more even than the majority of later Grieg works. Nothing spectacular maybe, but never boring.

[Christo]

You almost convince me to play it again. 

[sdtom]

I would recommend two recordings of the Symphony, both played by Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. The first one is an old Virgin CD with Dmitrij Kitajenko conducting, and the second form a part of BIS' wonderful series of Grieg's complete orchestral works on SACD. This time Ole Kristian Ruud stands at the podium.


Morten

I can get the Virgin for $5.00 so I'll jump on it.
Tom

[DennisS]

Bought the Naxos cd of this symphony and have listened to it several times. Thank you for referring me to it. It really is a delightful work.

cheers
Dennis

[sdtom]

I just received a new audite recording in SACD of the symphony and gave an 'A' to the sound recording quality. I'm in the process of reviewing it. The other work on the disc is his Piano Concerto.
Tom