You go, girl! Seriously, everyone ought to hear pianist
Eva Knardahl kick the stuffing out of "In the Hall of the Mountain King" from Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 as transcribed for solo piano by the composer himself. There hasn't been anything like it since Horowitz took on "The Star Spangled Banner." Listen to her left hand thump the repeated descending octaves in the bass, listen to her right hand slam the driving melody in the treble, listen to her thumbs and forefingers smash the chords in the middle. And that's not all
Knardahl can do. Everyone ought to hear the soaring soulfulness of her "Morning Melody" or the aching dolefulness of "The Death of Aase" from the same suite or the haunting sorrow of her "Ingrid's Lament" or the yearning simplicity of her "Solveig's Song" from the second suite. And that's not all
Knardahl can do. Her performance of the transcription of the suite from "Sigurd Jorsalfar" is nearly as fine with a particularly dramatic "Borghild's Dream" and an especially rousing "Homage March." Unfortunately, not even
Knardahl can do what's never been done -- breathe life into all 20 interminable minutes of Grieg's not particularly dramatic nor even especially interesting Ballade in G minor -- but she does bring her considerable beauty of tone and strength of sonority to the work and that goes as far toward making it succeed as anyone has yet done. BIS' 1978 sound is clear, deep, honest, and real.