Vienna Master Series - Edvard Grieg, Jean Sibelius

CD1

Edvard Hagerup Grieg (15 June 1843 – 4 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist who composed in the romantic period. He is best known for his Piano Concerto in A minor, for his incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt (which includes Morning Mood and In the Hall of the Mountain King), and for his collection of piano miniatures Lyric Pieces.

Holberg Suite, Op.40 more properly, is a suite of five movements based on eighteenth century dance forms, written by Edvard Grieg in 1884 to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Danish-Norwegian playwright Ludvig Holberg.
It is an example of a piece of nineteenth century music which makes use of musical styles and forms from the preceding century. It can be compared with Franz Liszt's A la Chapelle Sixtine (1862) and contrasted with later neoclassical works.
This suite is not as famous as the incidental music from Peer Gynt, which is usually performed as arranged in a pair of suites itself, but many critics see them as equal.

Lyric Pieces is a collection of 66 small to medium sized pieces for solo piano written by Edvard Grieg. They were published across 10 volumes, from 1867 (op. 12) to 1901 (op. 71). The collection includes several of his best known pieces, such as Wedding Day At Troldhaugen, To the Spring, March of the Trolls, and Butterfly. The theme of the first piece in the set, Arietta, was one of the composer's favorite melodies. He was so fond of it that he used it to complete the cycle in his very last lyric piece, Remembrances - this time in waltz form.


Tracklist:

01. Holberg Suite - Prelude
02. Holberg Suite - Sarabande
03. Holberg Suite - Gavotte
04. Holberg Suite - Andante religioso
05. Holberg Suite - Rigandon
06. Norwegian Wedding Dances - Bridal march
07. Norwegian Wedding Dances - Nils Revkes halling
08. Norwegian Wedding Dances - Bridal march from Telemark
09. Norwegian Wedding Dances - Hallingtanz
10. Norwegian Wedding Dances - Troll wedding in Vossevangen
11. Norwegian Wedding Dances - The girls from Kivte
12. Norwegian Wedding Dances - Ballade in G minor




CD2

Johan Julius Christian Sibelius (December 8, 1865 – September 20, 1957) was a Finnish composer of classical music and one of the most notable composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His music played an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity.

The Violin Concerto in D minor, opus 47 by Jean Sibelius premiered in 1903 in Helsinki. Sibelius withheld this version from publication and made substantial revisions. The premiere performance was a disaster. Although the original version had good material, Sibelius deleted a lot of material that did not work. The new version premiered in 1905, in Berlin, with Richard Strauss conducting and Karl Halir as soloist. The work is dedicated to noted violinist Franz von Vecsey. The initial version was noticeably more demanding on the advanced skills of the soloist and was revived in the early 1990s on the BIS record label by violinist Leonidas Kavakos, with the permission of Sibelius' heirs. The revised version still requires a considerably high level of technical facility on the part of the soloist. The Concerto is performed often and is considered one of the most important pieces - for any instrument. Although the work has been described as having "broad and depressing" melodies, the melodic line of the Sibelius Violin Concerto tells a very definite story. Several brighter moments appear against what is essentially a dark melodic backdrop, and the inexorable force that propels the concerto's direction makes it irresistible.


Tracklist:

01. Philharmonica Slavonica - Sibelius Concerto For Violin & OrchestraIn Dm, Op47 {#1 Allegro Moderato}
02. Philharmonica Slavonica - Sibelius Concerto For Violin & OrchestraIn Dm, Op47 {#2 Adagio Di Molto}
03. Philharmonica Slavonica - Sibelius Concerto For Violin & OrchestraIn Dm, Op47 {#3 Allegro Ma Non Tanto}
04. London Festival Orchestra - Sibelius Valse Triste, Op44
05. Nürnberger Symphoniker - Grieg Symphonic Dance No4
06. Marian Pivca, Piano - Grieg Lyric Suite, Op54 {#1, Arietta, Op12}
07. Marian Pivca, Piano - Grieg Lyric Suite, Op54 {#2, Waltz, Op12}
08. Marian Pivca, Piano - Grieg Lyric Suite, Op54 {#3, National Song, Op12}
09. Marian Pivca, Piano - Grieg Lyric Suite, Op54 {#4, To Spring, Op43}
10. Marian Pivca, Piano - Grieg Lyric Suite, Op54 {#5, Erotic, Op43}
11. Marian Pivca, Piano - Grieg Lyric Suite, Op54 {#6, Butterfly, Op43}