# Best recording of Grieg's piano concerto



## akse0435

Hello,

I've loved the music of Edvard Grieg's music throughout my Whole life, and it has allways been a source of joy and comfort to me. I recently collected many different recordings of Peer Gynt, boath suites and incidental music, to find the few best recordings out there, and now I'm interested in doing the same with the piano concerto.

Here is a list of the recordings I've heard so fare:
Dubravka Tomsic / Radio Symphony Orchestra Ljubljana / Anton Nanut - This was the first recording I ever heard of the Work, and I quite like. The tempo is a bit slow at times, which is also seen in the recording lasting over 31 minuttes. I especially like the very clear and forward sound of the piano.

Igor Uryash / St. Petersburg New Philharmony Orchestra / Alexander Titov - This is, not counting my fontness for the Tomsic-recording, probably my favorite recording so fare. The tempo seems well ballanced to me throughout the Whole Work, and the sound quality is very good. I especially like the very wide sound of the piano. You can really hear that the low notes are fare to the left, and the high notes fare to the right, thouch giving a great stereo image.

Géza Anda / Berliner Philharmoniker / Rafael Kubelik - Also a fairly good recording, but the tempos seems off to me, and the sound quality is not good to my ears.

Marián Lapsanský / Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra / Bystrík Resucha - Nothing special to me...

All these recordings are somewhat budget recordings, and I'm sure there's better recordings out there, therefore this project. I am interested in buying about 4-5 recordings, that seems to be the best. From the research I've did, the recordings that most people seems to recoment is:
Leif Ove Andsnes / Berliner Philharmoniker / Mariss Jansons
Murray Perahia / Symphonieorchester des bayerischen Rundfunks / Colin Davis
Radu Lupu / London Symphony Orchestra / André Previn

Can anyone confirm the greatness recording, and wich other recordings should I be looking at, or rader, listening to? What's your upinion on the best recording of this Work, and why?

Thanks in advance.

Best regards:
Aksel Christoffersen


----------



## shadowdancer

This list:
https://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/trout/2102-rr-93-grieg-piano.html


----------



## akse0435

Thank you for the reply. However, I don't have privileges to read the article yet, but it sure seems interesting, judging by the url.


----------



## Rogerx

akse0435 said:


> Thank you for the reply. However, I don't have privileges to read the article yet, but it sure seems interesting, judging by the url.


Don't judge a book by it's cover


----------



## bharbeke

The Tomsic is on my list as a great performance of this concerto. Matching it would be the following:

Alice Sara Ott, Thomas Dausgaard, Denmark Radio Symphony Orchestra
Cziffra, Vandernoot, Philharmonia Orchestra
Bavouzet, Gardner, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra

A poster whose taste matches mine frequently, D Smith, recommended Lilya Zilberstein, Neeme Jarvi, and Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.

As usual, try before you buy if you can (Spotify, YouTube, other streaming methods available to you that you like).


----------



## Mark Dee

RPO, Previn, Morecambe gets my vote


----------



## Animal the Drummer

Clifford Curzon's ageless recording on Decca would be my nomination.


----------



## joen_cph

I'd be OK with just the feverish Richter/Kondrashin, the majestic Zimerman/Karajan, and the history-loaded Grainger/Stokowski.


----------



## akse0435

Thank you for all the replies, I think I'll try all of the suggested recordings, except for maybe the Grainger-recrecording, because, though I apreciate and respect a good perfomence, bad sound quality is a deal-breaker to me.

Could any of you maybe state some reasons for choocing a specific recording? What is good and bad for a specific recording?

Thank you.


----------



## Animal the Drummer

Good question and one which I'm finding hard to put into words _apropos_ the Curzon recording! There seems to me to be *something* very special about the atmosphere which that performance creates. Maybe it has to do with a Norwegian conductor (Oivind Fjeldstad) being at the helm performing his countryman's music, but I get a definite sense that everyone including the soloist had a whale of a time in those recording sessions which transferred itself to their performance.


----------



## vincula

Absolutely agree on the Curzon. I would recommend you listening to Dino Lupatti's taking on this one. It's sometimes coupled with Schumann/Karajan piano concerto. A stunner. You'll find it on Dutton, Emi References, Warner Classics and the usual streaming platforms or on YouTube.









Regards,

Vincula


----------



## joen_cph

Some of the various recordings; these are what I've got:

CD Grainger,Stokowski,HollSO/archive doc 45-98 adcd2003
cd Richter,Kondrashin,MosStSO/rev 64-97 rv 10057
cd Ousset,Marriner,LSO/emi 7243 5 69859-2 (? maybe sold)
cd Gieseking,Furtwängler,BPO/tim 44-xx 20.3094
cd Backhaus,Barbirolli,NewSO/membr 10cd 33-06 224043
dwl Friedman,Gaubert,SO/1928
cd Michelangeli,Galliera,LaScala/artone mono 42-05 222354-254
cd Michelangeli,Rossi,RoRAI/green line 3cd 63-90 3clc4005
cd Lupu,Previn,LSO/decca 73-15 28cd 478877-2
cd Rubinstein,Dorati,RCASO/membran 4cd 49-05 222361-354
LP Rubinstein,Dorati,RCASO/emi falp162 (Regnault)
lp Rubinstein,Dorati,RCASO/rca 49 mono lm 1018
cd Rubinstein,Ormandy,PhiladO/tim 42-00 205237-303
lp Richter-Haaser,Moralt,VSO/ph stsgl5814
LP Zimerman,Karajan,BPO/dg 82 2532 043
LP Anda,Kubelik,BPO/dg 138 888
lp Curzon,Jorda,LondNewSO/decca mono ll1397
LP Eresko,Roszhdestvensky,USSRSRSO/mel cm 02567-68
cd Lipatti,Galliera,Philh/membran 4cd 47-04 221761
LP Lipatti,Galliera,Philh/emi 1c 047 00770m
LP Cherkassky,Boult,LPO/euro 80 980zk
lp Levant,Kurtz,NYPhilhSocO/columbia mono ml 4883
lp Lympany,Menges,Philh/emi mono clp 1037


----------



## Animal the Drummer

vincula said:


> Absolutely agree on the Curzon. I would recommend you listening to Dino Lupatti's taking on this one. It's sometimes coupled with Schumann/Karajan piano concerto. A stunner. You'll find it on Dutton, Emi References, Warner Classics and the usual streaming platforms or on YouTube.
> 
> View attachment 151560
> 
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Vincula


Yes indeed. Lipatti's is a very special recording from a very special pianist. The sound might be a touch constricted for our new _confrère_ here, but for me the performance overcomes that.

Additional left field nomination: some years ago BBC Music Magazine's cover CD was a coupling of the Dvorak Cello Concerto (a somewhat wayward reading from Alban Gerhardt which I wouldn't recommend) and a superb performance of the Grieg concerto from François-Frédéric Guy which is the nearest I've heard to Curzon's in overall approach. Worth a search online or in charity shops IMHO.


----------



## bluto32

I only have two in my small collection:


Andsnes/BPO/Jansons
Zilberstein/Gothenburg SO/N.Jarvi
The first has been recommended many times in many forums and is truly superb. I find the playing by both Andsnes and the BPO to be top notch, and Jansons keeps things moving nicely: he neither rushes nor allows things to drag. The balance between soloist and orchestra is also just right. A highlight for me is the first movement Cadenza - virtuosic and beautifully played. I think I'd be hard pushed to find a performance I like more; I invariably end up slightly disappointed whenever I sample another recording of this concerto on Spotify or hear another performance on the radio.

I got the second one by chance on a DG twofer of Grieg orchestral works with Neemi Jarvi. It's a solid performance: very, very good without blowing me away.

I remember a Richter recording being strongly recommended somewhere (Radio 3 "Building a Library" perhaps?), but the sound quality was noticeably poorer than the two above when I sampled it.


----------



## Triplets

This thread has particular relevance for me. My first Classical lp was a Grieg’s Greatest Hits, with the first movement of the PC, a few selections from Peer Gynt (I probably bought it because I wanted In The Hall of the Mountain King), Wedding Day at Troldhagen, some lyric pieces,...That lp, 50 years ago, was the gateway drug for me into an addiction for Classical Music.
OP, there are probably over a hundred recorded versions available. As with any frequently recorded Classical Piece, there is no consensus on what constitutes the “Greatest”. The list compiled here means nothing. I am familiar with the Andsnes and the Lupu recordings in your collection and they are wonderful. Sit back and play the music and stop worrying. If you really want to sample all of the alternatives get a streaming service such as Spotify or Qobuz


----------



## Geoff48

Recorded in the early days of stereo but perfectly listenable I have always enjoyed the version by Solomon. It was recorded just before the stroke that ended his career and occasionally the strain shows. Also it was a little outside his normal repertoire which tended to concentrate on the German and Austrian Classics. It’s available on a Warner Icon coupled with Beethoven’s 3rd and Emperor concertos, a handful of named sonatas including an incredibly slow and dreamy Moonlight, Mozart’s 24th Concerto, Brahms 2nd and the Tchaikovsky amongst other works. Unfortunately no Chopin although there is a Membran 10 cd box which has a Chopin cd although the recordings generally are inferior to the Warner set.
Another version I’ve always enjoyed, although this may be due to the fact that it was the way I got to know the Grieg as a kid on 8 78 sides, is that by Ignez Friedman. Rather like a bull in a china shop but strangely addictive. Recorded in the late twenties it is not hi fi and certainly not a sole choice and Gaubert isn’t much of a conductor but certainly worth a listen on one of the streaming services such as Spotify even if you only hear it once.


----------



## vincula

Youtube offers an incredible variety of renditions and SQ's not bad at all.

Here are 5 different flavours:

*Dino Lupatti*






*Michelangeli*






*Solomon*






*Richter*






*Gieseking*






Regards,

Vincula


----------



## Judith

Love Hough/Bergen Philharmonic/Litton

Beautiful recording


----------



## bharbeke

I wish I could tell you why some interpretations work better for me than others. I typically am listening to different versions weeks or months apart, so there's no A/B comparison going on. All I can say is that the ones I recommended were extremely satisfying to me on their own merits.


----------



## akse0435

Wow, that's an impressive list writen in post #12. So, I think I'll add Curson and Lipatti's recordings to my list of recordings to buy, which also include Andsnes, Lupu and Perahia. I'll not be able to try every recording on the list, because I preffer to listen to music from cd. As said, sound quality might be a breaker for me, but I totally agree, that if the perfomence is good enough, the sound quality doesn't matter too much.


----------



## akse0435

Update: I didn't discover there were two pages with post before I wrote my last post, so I had only red up to post #15 at that point. So, I found some recomendations for Solomon's recording somewhere else as well, so maybe I'll add that as well. I now have writen a list of 6 different recordings to try out, so that schould be enough for a while. Thank you all for the replies so fare.


----------



## akse0435

Also, do anyone know the recording by Stephen Korvacevich? It seems to have boath very posetive and very negative reviews, so would it be worth tryingas well?


----------



## Animal the Drummer

It's a good recording IMO but to my ears it lacks that final little touch of distinction that Curzon and Lipatti both offer. The CD does have the advantage though of including a decent performance (by Zoltan Kocsis) of the Grieg solo sonata in E minor which is well worth a hearing if you don't have it already, the slow movement especially.


----------



## akse0435

Quick follow-up question: Which remaster is best to get for the Solomon and Lipatti recordings. When handeling this old recordings, I find it important to get a good re-master, with a somewhat full sound, atleast where possible.


----------



## Josquin13

It's not a work I've listened to in recent years, but when I did play it more often, the recordings that I liked most--that is, among non-Norwegian pianists--were the following:

--Sviatoslav Richter, Monte Carlo National Opera Orchestra, Lovro von Matacic conductor, EMI--which Richter himself considered to be one of his most successful recordings (he had a special affinity for Grieg's music: see Richter's live Lyric Pieces below): 



.

--Radu Lupu, London Symphony Orchestra, Andre Previn, Decca: 













--Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli: there is more than one version by Michelangeli, but the BBC recording seems to be the most readily available at the moment: with the New Philharmonia Orchestra & Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos conducting: 



.

With that said, there are two fine Norwegian pianists that have specialized in Grieg's piano music, and recorded every note that Grieg wrote for the piano (or virtually so)--which surely counts for something? (i.e., special insights, a deeper understanding of the composer's idiom, etc.). They are Einar Steen-Nøkleberg, and Eva Knardahl. Of the two, I've probably most liked Steen-Nøkleberg's recording of the Piano Concerto, & partly due to his conductor, Per Dreier, & the London Symphony Orchestra (who've played this work many times). The Norwegian Drier was an experienced Grieg conductor, having made a highly regarded recording of the complete "Peer Gynt" years ago, which if memory serves was awarded a rosette award by the Penquin Guide, in the old days. I also find Steen-Nøkleberg to be a bit more mercurial than Knardahl in the PC (and others too), but she's great, as well (if a tad more angular in her approach). So, the Steen-Nøkleberg recording would make a strong candidate for a top pick, IMO. Since it offers arguably the best combination of a pianist that is thoroughly well-versed in Grieg's piano music and a sympathetic, experienced Grieg conductor. The music making all sounds wonderfully idiomatic to me, as opposed to overly loud, 'big virtuoso' late Romantic smaltz (as is often the case). As for Knardahl, she recorded the PC at least twice: first for BIS, and later for Simax (which has the better sound engineering). Here are links to their recordings on You Tube:

--Einar Steen-Nøkleberg, LSO, conducted by Per Dreier:













--Eva Knardahl, Lithuanian National S.O, conducted by Terje Mikkelsen:





To my ears, both Knardahl and Steen-Nøkleberg turn this concerto more into music than many other pianists, who, as stated, seem to see it as an extroverted, virtuoso showpiece (which admittedly, can be exciting, if that's your cup of tea).

By the way, if you're enjoying exploring Grieg's music at the moment, I'd strongly urge you to hear his Lyric Pieces for solo piano, if you don't know them. They're among my most favorite works by Grieg. Pianists that excelled in the Lyric Pieces would include the following, IMO, and I've listed them in a general order of personal preference:

--Walter Gieseking, 31 Lyric Pieces (good mono), EMI References: 



--Sviatoslav Richter (24 Lyric Pieces, live in Greece, on the Stradivarius & Live Classics label): 



--Emil Gilels, DG (partial selection): 



--Håkon Austbø (complete survey), Brilliant label: 



--Eva Knardahl, BIS (complete survey): 



--Einar Steen-Nøkleberg (complete survey), Naxos: 



--Andre Gavrilov, DG (partial selection--as is often the case with Gavrilov, there's a degree of ego evident in his playing, but he can be excellent in this music, nevertheless): 




Historically speaking, there are also recordings by Grieg himself, which are fascinating. They can be heard on You Tube, as well: Here is Grieg playing two of his Lyric Pieces:

--"Butterfly" (a piano roll recording)--this is truly wonderful playing, speaking of idiomatic: 



--"To Spring" (a very old phonograph recording): 




You might also try to hear Glenn Gould playing Grieg's Piano Sonata, Op. 7, seeing that Gould was related to the composer by blood: 



.

EDIT: P.S. One more suggestion: Here's another very good recording of the Grieg PC that I forgot to mention above, played by pianist Ivan Moravec, with the Prague Symphony Orchesra, conducted by Miklos Erdelyi: 



.


----------



## akse0435

Josquin13:
Thank you for all information. I've known and listened to Grieg's music my Whole life, boath Peer Gynt, PC, and Lyric pieces. I spend many years collecting about 70-80 different recordings of Peer Gynt, mainly because I was interested in hearinf different readings, and because I wanted to find out WHO originally played the recording from the Alfred Scholz-archive. Now, it has come to the piano concerto, and when I've heard enough recordings, I think I'll write Down my thoughts here. Thank you for allthe good recomendations and information.

Best regards


----------



## Bruckner Anton

My picks (considering both interpretation and sound) are:
1. Richter Matacic on EMI
2. Kovacevitch Davis on Philips
3. Zimmerman Karajan on DG


----------



## Malx

Animal the Drummer said:


> Yes indeed. Lipatti's is a very special recording from a very special pianist. The sound might be a touch constricted for our new _confrère_ here, but for me the performance overcomes that.
> 
> Additional left field nomination: some years ago BBC Music Magazine's cover CD was a coupling of the Dvorak Cello Concerto (a somewhat wayward reading from Alban Gerhardt which I wouldn't recommend) and a superb performance of the Grieg concerto from François-Frédéric Guy which is the nearest I've heard to Curzon's in overall approach. Worth a search online or in charity shops IMHO.


I agree regarding the Guy BBC recording - in fact I reckon Guy doesn't seem to get the recognition on the forum he perhaps deserves. His Beethoven Sonata set he recorded live is one I dip into frequently.


----------



## Brahmsianhorn

My favorite: Backhaus/Barbirolli from 1933


----------



## arpeggio

joen_cph said:


> CD Grainger,Stokowski,HollSO/archive doc 45-98 adcd2003


One plus about this recording is that Percy Grainger and Greig were good friends.


----------



## akse0435

Hello,

Do anyone know which edition / release of the recording of Grieg's piano concerto by Dinu Lipatti that has the best sound quality?

I've searched a bit, but I can't seem to find a recomendation for a specific remaster, and I find it important to choose the right one to buy, when the source material is 78 rpm. I'm also searching for a good remaster of the recording by Solomon, but that schouldn't be as hard.


----------



## Triplets

I would look to see which restoration engineers have had a go at it. If Pristine Audio, or Mark Obert Thorn, Ward Marston, Lani Spahn have had a go, then they probably have obtained highly listenable results. I can’t personally recommend any, because I last heard that recording on a Seraphim lp 40 years ago


----------



## Kreisler jr

I can only say that an EMI disc of the Lipatti I had had rather wretched sound, but it could have been the Chopin where I was so put off by the sound. In any case the combination of poor sound and music I don't care about very much led me to give the disc away. Not helpful but my recollection is that the sound was not good considering the age so one should not except miracles from more recent issues.


----------



## Allegro Con Brio

Lots of great ones, but this one absolutely must be heard by any music lover. The first movement cadenza is like an earthquake.


----------



## akse0435

@kreisler jr:
I read something about a Lipatti-cd from EMI with the Grieg and Chopin concertos. A reviewer wrote that the Chopin concerto's sound was particularly bad, because it was recorded live by a private person. For the Grieg concerto, it said that the sound was a Little too bright, so I'd actually looked past that one. I found information about a cd released by Opus Kura with the Grieg and Schumann concertos and one of Lipatti's own Works. I'm currently searching for good reviews and possibly an audio sample, so I'm thinking that might be worth a try. I also found good reviews for a cd remastered by someone called Bryan Cremp, which I managed to find an audio sample of, but I don't like that sound very much. To me, it sounds like some crucial high frequencies are missing.


----------



## Chatellerault

Two of my favourites, not mentioned here yet, are:
Arrau/Dohnanyi/Concertgebouw (1960s)
Novaes/Swarowsky/Vienna S.O. (1950s)

They are both on the gentle side. For sheer power, I like Richter/Matacic. Didn't know about the Richter/Kondrashin, I'll check that one later..


----------



## 89Koechel

akse0435 - NICE analyses, of the extant, recordings of the late Rumanian! I have some LPs (Seraphim and Columbia/Odyssey) of this fellow, in decent sound ... but one wouldn't expect anything more than run-of-the-mill monaural, from them. Also, if you think high frequencies are essential/crucial, you might not like reissues of this man ... but you might be MISSING something, in the spirit/execution of the overall performances and recordings. IMO.


----------



## 89Koechel

Well, by golly, there IS a www.pristineclassical.com reissue of Lipatti, in the Chopin Concerto #1 (with Otto Ackerman), and it's bundled-with a Chopin Sonata #3. It's PASC 406, and I'm SURE it's sonics, restored as they might be, are of the best, as one would expect from Andrew Rose and his great, reissue enterprise label (7 euros, for a download ... 10 euros, for a CD).


----------



## 89Koechel

Chatellerault - OH, wow, Mr. Sviatoslav R., in any Piano Concerto! Thanks for the recommendations of Arrau, and the virtually-forgotten Guiomar Novaes, also. One might, also, suggest a great "voice" from the past - Walter Gieseking.


----------



## Parley

This is a beautiful performance too:


----------



## Parley

Allegro Con Brio said:


> Lots of great ones, but this one absolutely must be heard by any music lover. The first movement cadenza is like an earthquake.


I have this. Remarkable!


----------



## akse0435

By the way, has anyone noticed that Clifford Curzon's recording has an interesting error or difference towards the end of the 3rd movement. Right at the end of the piece, there's a tempani roll, and then three powerfull a major chords with piano and orchestra, and the 3rd one stays until the end. In nearly all other recordings I've heard, the tempani roll stops at the first a major chord, and resumes Again at the 3rd chord, but in this recording, and also in one other live recording on a dvd with Leif Ove Andsnes, the tempani roll continues until the end of the piece?

Is this just and error, or is there a special reason?


----------



## wkasimer

akse0435 said:


> Do anyone know which edition / release of the recording of Grieg's piano concerto by Dinu Lipatti that has the best sound quality?


I haven't heard it, but I suspect that the APR issue is likely to be well transferred (their products usually are, and the Amazon reviews are positive about the sonics).


----------



## akse0435

So...

After listining to about 80 different recordings of Grieg's Piano Concerto, thanks to streaming and Discogs.com, I think I've actually found my favorite version, which is a version. This was a recording I found purely by coincidence, and noone has ever menchioned it to me.

The recording is that by Sigurd Slåttebrekk, with the Oslo Philharmonic with Michail Jurowski conducting, which is to be found on this very interesting release:
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7995185--grieg-chasing-the-butterfly

It's hard to describe what makes this recording so good in my upinion, but I get the feeling all the way through, that this would be exactly how Grieg invicioned it. I also just love the big, forward and warm sound of the piano.

If you love Grieg's music like me, I would hily recoment buying this release, boath for the Piano Concerto, and for the excellent Work Slåttebrekk puts into recreating Grieg's 1903 recordings. I also love his interpretation of the Ballade in G minor, which is also on this release.

I also hily admire other PC recordings, sutch as the ones by Dinu Lipatti, Solomon Cutner, Philippe Entremont, Stephen Kovacevich, Cécile Ousset, Leif Ove Andsnes and Håvart Gimse, but Slåttebrekk's recording just stands out for me.


----------



## Triplets

akse0435 said:


> So...
> 
> After listining to about 80 different recordings of Grieg's Piano Concerto, thanks to streaming and Discogs.com, I think I've actually found my favorite version, which is a version. This was a recording I found purely by coincidence, and noone has ever menchioned it to me.
> 
> The recording is that by Sigurd Slåttebrekk, with the Oslo Philharmonic with Michail Jurowski conducting, which is to be found on this very interesting release:
> https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7995185--grieg-chasing-the-butterfly
> 
> It's hard to describe what makes this recording so good in my upinion, but I get the feeling all the way through, that this would be exactly how Grieg invicioned it. I also just love the big, forward and warm sound of the piano.
> 
> If you love Grieg's music like me, I would hily recoment buying this release, boath for the Piano Concerto, and for the excellent Work Slåttebrekk puts into recreating Grieg's 1903 recordings. I also love his interpretation of the Ballade in G minor, which is also on this release.
> 
> I also hily admire other PC recordings, sutch as the ones by Dinu Lipatti, Solomon Cutner, Philippe Entremont, Stephen Kovacevich, Cécile Ousset, Leif Ove Andsnes and Håvart Gimse, but Slåttebrekk's recording just stands out for me.


Well, you certainly researched it!
Actually, I just read the Gramophone Article picking a favorite, and it's the same recording.


----------



## MasterRaro

I can't believe in this entire discussion nobody mentioned the Fleisher recording! The George Szell/Cleveland one. It's one of the absolute all-time classic recordings of this piece. The Schumann is on there too. Everyone, quick, go listen and then report back! lol


----------



## akse0435

Yeah, it's a good recording in my upinion too, just not outstanding, but definitely in the better end of the spectrum.


----------



## Tarneem

the one recording performed by Julia Fischer has a special place in my heart


----------



## akse0435

I hadn't actually heard that recording, but it's quite good. I get a definite sense, when listining to the recording, that Fischer is trying to perform it very straight forward, like it's not permitted to step out of line... Again, not outstanding in my upinion, but still very good.


----------



## akse0435

Another thing regarding recordings of this work, which I find rather interesting/od is, that there doesn't appear to be many recordings with all norwegian forces. In fact, the only ones I can think of are: Kjell Bækkelund / Oslo Philharmonic / Odd Grüner-Hekke (1959) and Leif Ove Andsnes / Bergen Philharmonic / Ole Kristian Ruud (2007), which only was released on dvd. There are many recordings with norwegian pianists, but most of them either only has a norwegian conductor or a norwegian orchestra. It begs the question though, if you want a "norwegian" performence, which is more important, a norwegian conductor or a norwegian orchestra?

My favorite recording by Sigurd Slåttebrekk has a norwegian orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic, and a russian conductor, Michail Jurowski, but the 2002 recording with Leif Ove Andsnes has a norwegian conductor, Mariss Jansons, but a german orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker, and it's almost as good as the Slåttebrekk recording in my opinion.


----------



## RobertJTh

akse0435 said:


> (...) but the 2002 recording with Leif Ove Andsnes has a norwegian conductor, Mariss Jansons, but a german orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker, and it's almost as good as the Slåttebrekk recording in my opinion.


Mariss Jansons was Latvian.


----------



## akse0435

Sorry, you're right. I thought he was norwegian.


----------



## akse0435

Hi,

So, on the topic, I'm currently working on collecting all possible available performances of the piano concerto, by Percy Grainger. Here's what I've got so fare:
1945 performance with Leopold Stokowski, on 1977 International Piano Archives LP, 1997 Music & Arts CD, and 1997 Biddulph CD
1956 performance with Richard Morse, on said 1977 International Piano Archives LP
1957 performance with Per Drier, on 1998 Vanguard CD
Piano roll performance, on 1978 LP with John Hopkins, 1990s Klavier CD with two pianos, 1997 CD with Michael Schønwandt, and 2009 2L BluRay/SACD with Rolf GuptaMichael Schønwandt.

I also know of an LP box containing the first movement of a 1951 performance with William Revelli, but I haven't been able to find any release with the full performance.

So, does anyone here have knowlish of another release to get, perhaps a release of the full Revelli performance, or a CD with the 1956 Morse performance?

I am actually also looking for a place to buy the 2000 Pearl CD, GEM 0080, with the 1927 performance with Arthur de Greef and Landon Ronald, because I'm interested in comparing the transfer to Mark Obert-Thorn's from 2014, which I'm not too font of.

Thank you.


----------



## Brahmsianhorn

MasterRaro said:


> I can't believe in this entire discussion nobody mentioned the Fleisher recording! The George Szell/Cleveland one. It's one of the absolute all-time classic recordings of this piece. The Schumann is on there too. Everyone, quick, go listen and then report back! lol


Agreed 100!

Just listened to Fleisher/Szell again yesterday. It really is a home run recording, poetic and tender as well as very exciting. The top recording combining good sound IMO.

My other favorites are the electric 1933 Backhaus/Barbirolli and the beautiful Solomon version mentioned earlier.


----------

