The suites from Peer Gynt, through no fault of his own, are Norwegian composer
Edvard Grieg's calling card. Certain pieces, such as "Morning Mood" and "In the Hall of the Mountain King" are well known even among those who have never heard of
Grieg. However,
Grieg's incidental music to
Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt is only seldom recorded as a complete unit. Part of the problem is a textual one, as although
Grieg finished the score barely in time for the premiere of Peer Gynt in 1876, he continued to alter it over the course of the next 20 years. A critical edition incorporating
Grieg's final thoughts on the matter was not published until 1987 and was concurrently recorded for Deutsche Grammophon by
Neeme Järvi and the
Gothenburg Symphony. The family tradition is carried on in this Virgin Classics recording, as it is led by his son,
Paavo Järvi, with the
Estonian National Symphony Orchestra.
In orchestral terms, the younger
Järvi's Grieg: Peer Gynt is a magnificent performance, fully capturing the sweep and grandeur of
Grieg and
Ibsen's vast conception. While in some instances
Järvi cannot resist pointing up some of the music's similarity to the idiom of
Mussorgsky, he is likewise careful not to lose sight of the score's Nordic iciness. The little bit of singing that there is in Peer Gynt is essentially where this Virgin Classics release comes down to earth. In "In the Hall of the Mountain King" there is a problem of balance between the
Estonian National Male Choir and the orchestra in that the latter is quite clearly drowned out by the former. Baritone
Peter Mattei does a fine job singing the one song the title character is given to sing, and
Camilla Tilling is good as Solveig, although if one already has
Kirsten Flagstad's performance of "Solveig's Song" in his/her head this might be a bit of a letdown. There is no ambiguity, though, about
Charlotte Hellekant as Arabian temptress Anitra -- she sings as though she is trying to sell real estate, rather than seduce Peer and relieve him of his fortune.
Robert Layton's liner notes are excellent; we are surprised to learn how
Grieg felt that "In the Hall of the Mountain King" was something "I literally can't bear listening to because it absolutely reeks of cow-dung" and the extraordinary extent to which
Ibsen himself intervened in the creation of this music.