# Grieg's Peer Gynt on Period Instruments



## BachMacCruimein (1 mo ago)

Hello, are there any recordings of Peer Gynt played on period instruments and performed in historically informed style?


----------



## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

BachMacCruimein said:


> Hello, are there any recordings of Peer Gynt played on period instruments and performed in historically informed style?


Not as far as I know, you did made very curious why or what is the matter with a good orchestra/ conductor recording from last decade ?


----------



## bagpipers (Jun 29, 2013)

Is Grieg that old that period instruments are necessary.


----------



## BachMacCruimein (1 mo ago)

Rogerx said:


> Not as far as I know, you did made very curious why or what is the matter with a good orchestra/ conductor recording from last decade ?


Sorry for the late reply, and there's nothing wrong with modern style recordings. It's just that throughout the mid to late 20th century orchestral playing styles have changed, such as slower tempos and heavier use of vibrato, but, if you know of any good recordings with somewhat faster tempos and lighter use of vibrato, I'd like to know.


----------



## BachMacCruimein (1 mo ago)

bagpipers said:


> Is Grieg that old that period instruments are necessary.


Actually, his music is. There's been quite a few changes in the orchestra and orchestral playing since the Late Romantic Era, such as, using slower tempos and heavier use of vibrato, as well as using synthetic strings and there's been changes to the other instruments in the orchestra creating a different dynamic with the instruments.


----------



## RobertJTh (Sep 19, 2021)

If you're looking for authentic performances, an alternative method could be choosing recordings by artists that were alive in Grieg's time. Of course it can't be guaranteed that those old-timer conductors were capable of - or interested in - recreating the authentic 19th century sound - but there are certain elements, like flexibility of tempo, balances, legato etc. that could be carried over from their youth into the recordings of their old age.
Take Beecham for instance. Born in 1879, he could have met Grieg (don't know if that ever happened though), and he grew up when orchestras still used lots of portamento, generally faster tempi and conductors had far more freedom to shape the music to their likening.
Maybe someone knows if there are any recordings extant by conductors who were close to Grieg and worked with him - but in any case Beecham's 1958 recording remains an all-time classic.


----------



## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

BachMacCruimein said:


> Actually, his music is. There's been quite a few changes in the orchestra and orchestral playing since the Late Romantic Era, such as, using slower tempos and heavier use of vibrato, as well as using synthetic strings and there's been changes to the other instruments in the orchestra creating a different dynamic with the instruments.


The Göteborgs Symfoniker, Neeme Järvi recording is a good buy, you can hear clips on the Presto site.


----------



## BachMacCruimein (1 mo ago)

RobertJTh said:


> If you're looking for authentic performances, an alternative method could be choosing recordings by artists that were alive in Grieg's time. Of course it can't be guaranteed that those old-timer conductors were capable of - or interested in - recreating the authentic 19th century sound - but there are certain elements, like flexibility of tempo, balances, legato etc. that could be carried over from their youth into the recordings of their old age.
> Take Beecham for instance. Born in 1879, he could have met Grieg (don't know if that ever happened though), and he grew up when orchestras still used lots of portamento, generally faster tempi and conductors had far more freedom to shape the music to their likening.
> Maybe someone knows if there are any recordings extant by conductors who were close to Grieg and worked with him - but in any case Beecham's 1958 recording remains an all-time classic.


Sorry for the late reply, and thanks for recommending Beecham's recording! I'm gonna go listen to it now.


----------

