Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
never managed to write his projected Second
Piano Concerto in B minor leaving only small fragments of ideas, since published
by the Oslo Grieg Society. These
fragments lasting around two and a half minutes have been recorded by pianist
Carl Petersson http://carlpetersson.com
on a new disc from Grand Piano http://naxosdirect.co.uk/labels/grand-piano-3330
.
Petersson also plays Helge
Evju’s (b.1942) Piano Concerto in B
minor based on Grieg’s B minor Concerto fragments as well as the famous A minor Concerto in Percy Grainger’s edition
and two of Grieg’s songs arranged for solo piano by Evju. All in all, this
proves to be a fascinating musical experience. For the concertos, Petersson is
joined by the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra www.rozhlas.cz/socr/portal conducted by Kerry Stratton www.facebook.com/kerry.stratton1
GP689 |
Grainger first met Grieg in London in 1906 when he was
invited to spend the summer of 1907 at the composer’s villa Troldhaugen near
Bergen in Norway. Grainger was due to play Grieg’s Piano Concerto at the Leeds
Festival that year and, therefore, spent some time going over the score with
the composer making small emendations to the solo part. It is this revision by
Grieg and Grainger that is performed here.
The Allegro moderato
of Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor,
Op. 16 (Revised by P. Grainger) has, from the opening timpani through the
opening piano bars, a great incisiveness. There is light, crisp orchestral
phrasing, a lovely transparency and fine detail. Carl Petersson brings a spontaneity
to his playing with Kerry Stratton and the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra providing
some lovely rather leisurely orchestral passages. There is a beautifully done
cadenza, fluid with a terrific power before a fiery conclusion.
The Adagio also
brings some fine orchestral playing in the opening with lovely individual
instrumental details. Petersson’s lovely silken, fluid playing in this movement
is really rather fine.
Petersson brings
his feeling of spontaneity to the Allegro
marcato pushing ahead with abandon to great effect. There are some
particularly fine dramatic passages as well as lovely poetic moments finely
played by both soloist and orchestra. It is Petersson’s free, fluid,
spontaneous approach that brings so much to this performance, pointing up so many
details before leading to a grandiose coda where there is some pretty virtuosic
playing.
This is a particularly revealing performance with some very
fine moments.
As a prelude to Helge Evju’s Piano Concerto based on Grieg’s sketches for his Piano Concerto in B Minor, EG 120 Carl
Petersson plays the small fragments sadly lasting only around two and a half
minutes. Whilst perhaps not quite as tantalising as the purported sketches for
Sibelius’ Eighth Symphony, these fragments certainly make one wonder how Grieg
might have used them. Some certainly have a distinctive flow though, no doubt,
Grieg would have developed them to something much greater.
The opening Moderato
tranquillo of Helge Evju: Piano
Concerto in B Minor (On Fragments by E. Grieg) has a very Nordic orchestral
sound. The piano soon joins, leading to a fine melody with overtones of Grieg
appearing. The faster, skittish passages for piano recall Grieg’s A minor
concerto though there is not the same tautness of construction. The Scherzo brings a buoyant, rhythmically
jaunty theme with a cadenza that slowly picks over the ideas as though more of
a trio section, before gently and slowly leading into the Adagio. Here there is a wistful melody which, as it develops,
brings some lovely passages.
The fourth movement is a
Cadenza that opens with robust chords from this pianist before developing
through some finely intricate phrases with some of the rhythmic episodes
recalling Grieg. The Finale pushes us headlong into another rhythmic
theme before arriving at a broad romantic melody. There is a terrific coda.
Evju refers to this concerto as ‘a piece of whimsy’. It is,
in fact, an attractive way of using Grieg’s fragments within a concerto context
that many will enjoy immensely. Petersson gives a terrific performance.
As an added extra this pianist concludes this disc with two
of Helge Evju’s transcriptions for piano of songs by Grieg. There is a very
effective transcription of With a Water
Lily from 6 Songs, Op. 25 that reveals itself as a fine little piece,
almost Rachmaninovian at times. A Dream
from 6 Songs, Op. 48 has a lovely flow, finely revealed by Petersson. It moves
through some very fine passages, quite virtuosic and brilliantly played here.
I cannot imagine any Grieg enthusiast not wanting to hear
this fascinating disc finely recorded and with first rate performances from all
concerned.
The recording brings a fine amount of detail in a natural
acoustic. There are excellent booklet notes.
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