Grieg: Works for Orchestra

Edvard Grieg (Composer), Maurice de Abravanel (Conductor), Utah Chamber Symphony (Performer, Orchestra), Utah Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Utah Chamber Symphony
• Orchestra: Utah Chamber Symphony, Utah Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Maurice de Abravanel
• Composer: Edvard Grieg
• Audio CD (November 4, 1992)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Vox (Classical)
• ASIN: B000001K2X
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #214,352 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pleasant anthology, December 27, 2000

By 

Gregory M. Zinkl (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Grieg: Works for Orchestra (Audio CD)

I can't muster as much enthusiasm as the previous reviewer, but I certainly appreciate this set.

Utah has always been a smaller orchestra, sometimes augmented (such as the excellent Mahler 8 on Vanguard), and of course that means fewer strings. With close microphone placement, that aspect is brought out here. While the playing is very good, it is not the best technically--witness some pretty out of tune playing in the Peer Gynt Suite #1, "Morning Mood" in the wicked arpeggiated figures, and the concertmaster is made to sound pretty scrawny in the last movement of Holberg (another solo that never seems to sound idiomatic to my ears). A note, however--the violas sound very nice--full, warm tone and no squwaks!

What is excellent however are most of the performances--another case of lovely performances, if not as polished as others. For example, looking at some other recordings of the Peer Gynt Suites, von Karajan's last essay on DG seems really sterile to me--and consequently very boring, although it is hard to beat the Berlin Phil. Slatkin, on the other hand, has more feeling, but for once, the Telarc engineering seems a little off--but the technical polish of the St. Louis forces can't be missed. Blomstedt w/ San Francisco on Decca has decent engineering, but his orchestra, which plays very well, can't match St. Louis or Berlin in the string tone departments, but does outshine Utah.

One disappointment on this album is the "In Autumn Overture". I think it needs a little more dramatic advocacy, and perhaps a little more technical polish. On the other hand, good luck finding many other recordings of it!

So, this album represents a great way to get all of Grieg's works for orchestra, even if there are a few defects (some technical blemishes and too-close engineering)--none of which should bar the potential buyer.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A best Buy!, January 18, 2000

By 

Leon Teitelbaum (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grieg: Works for Orchestra (Audio CD)

This budget-priced Album set, contains some very fine performances. Abravanel is a dedicated Grieg interpreter, and his approach is both complementary and shrewdly highlighted in this collection. This performance has long been regarded as the best available. Abravanel elected the kind of Romantic, colorful music that he always conducted with special authority, and the Utah Symphony Orchestra makes some gorgeous sounds, particularly in the Peer Gynt Suite and The Lyric Suite. A bargain.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars These are excellent performances and a great value, November 3, 2006

By 

Thomas Martin "sonomatom" (USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Grieg: Works for Orchestra (Audio CD)

Unlike the other reviewer, I found absolutely nothing wrong with the VOX discs or the sound quality. As for the performances, quite honestly, I am selling my Blomstedt/SF Symphony 'Peer Gynt' suites. I like Abravanel and the Utah band much better. If you have any interest in the orchestral music of Grieg, you can't do better than this!