EDVARD GRIEG (1843 – 1907)

COMPLETE ORCHESTRAL WORKS

Malmö Symphony Orchestra • Royal Scottish National Orchestra • Bjarte Engeset

This boxed set of Grieg’s complete orchestral works is a celebration of the composer’s rich and multi–faceted aesthetic. Grieg was an idealistic humanist whose music and writings underlined a harmony between humans and nature. The sense of nostalgia and ‘postcard lyricism’ often associated with him belies the wild energy also present in his music — its primeval force, pessimistic emotions and tempestuous Romanticism. Thanks to Bjarte Engeset’s carefully researched and widely admired performances, Grieg’s complex musical universe can here be appreciated in full.

Listen to an excerpt
from Olav Trygvason

Excerpt from “From Holberg’s Time, Op. 40: I. Prelude”

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The Artists

The Norwegian conductor Bjarte Engeset completed his training with Jorma Panula at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki in 1989. In 1990 he was a prize-winner in the Nordic Conducting Competition and since his participation in the 1991 Tanglewood Seminar he has conducted leading orchestras throughout Scandinavia, as well as in Britain, Germany, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Estonia and the United States. He made his London debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1997, while at home continuing to play a leading part in festivals throughout Norway, working both in the concert hall and in the opera house.

The Malmö Symphony Orchestra (MSO) consists of a hundred highly talented musicians who demonstrate their skills in a wide range of concerts. The Naxos and BIS record labels have brought the orchestra to a worldwide audience and several of its recordings have gained international awards, such as the Cannes Classical Award and Diapason d’Or. The MSO’s recording of Berwald’s symphonies, under the direction of Sixten Ehrling, was nominated for a Gramophone Award, and a release of music by the American composer Charles Ives (Naxos) was Editor’s Choice / Recording of the Month in October 2008, also in Gramophone.

The Royal Scottish National Orchestra was formed in 1891 as the Scottish Orchestra and became the Scottish National Orchestra in 1950. It was awarded Royal Patronage in 1991. Throughout its history the orchestra has played an integral part in Scotland’s musical life, including performing at the opening ceremony of the Scottish Parliament building in 2004. Many renowned conductors have contributed to its success, including George Szell, Sir John Barbirolli, Walter Susskind, Sir Alexander Gibson, Neeme Järvi, Walter Weller, Alexander Lazarev and Stéphane Denève.

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