Although not all
Ole Kristian Ruud and the
Bergen Philharmonic's recordings of the orchestral music of Grieg have been entirely successful -- their disc of the string orchestra works was restrained to the point of sedated, hardly a characteristic of Grieg's music -- this disc of Grieg's supremely well-known Peer Gynt Suites coupled with three far less-well-known works is a wonder and a marvel. In their amazingly evocative Peer Gynt Suites,
Ruud and the
Bergen bring out colors, textures, and rhythmic accents that few others have suspected were even there. Listen to the phrasing of the flute at the start of "Sunrise" or the tone of the bassoon at the start of "In the Hall of the Mountain King" or the balance of the strings in "Solveig's Song:" it's enough to make these aging warhorses seem like young stallions again. Even better are the performances of the three other works. The "Funeral March in Memory of Rikard Nordraak" for winds is sorrowful but stern and deeply affecting. The "Old Norwegian Melody with Variations" for full orchestra is luminous but rambunctious and profoundly satisfying. And the closing "Bell Ringing" for full orchestra with harps to the fore is simply sonically staggering. With breathtakingly immediate super audio sound from BIS, this disc deserves to be heard by anyone who loves Grieg's music.