Knardahl: Grieg – The Complete Music for Piano (12 CD box set, FLAC)

Orchestra: Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Jun’ichi Hirokami
Composer: Edvard Grieg
Performer: Eva Knardahl, Love Derwinger
Audio CD
SPARS Code: ADD
Number of Discs: 12 CD box set
Format: FLAC (image+cue)
Label: Bis
Size: 2.82 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

CD 01
Lyric Pieces for piano, Book 1, Op. 12
01. 1. Arietta
02. 2. Vals (Waltz)
03. 3. Vektersang (Watchman’s Song)
04. 4. Alfedans (Fairy Dance)
05. 5. Folkevise (Folk-song)
06. 6. Norsk (Norwegian)
07. 7. Albumblad (Album Leaf)
08. 8. Fedrelandssang (National Song)

Lyric Pieces for piano, Book 2, Op. 38
09. 1. Berceuse
10. 2. Folkevise (Folk-song)
11. 3. Melodi (Melody)
12. 4. Halling
13. 5. Springdans
14. 6. Elegi (Elegy)
15. 7. Vals (Waltz)
16. 8. Kanon (Canon)

Lyric Pieces for piano, Book 3, Op. 43
17. 1. Sommerfugl (Butterfly)
18. 2. Ensom vandrer (Solitary Traveller)
19. 3. I hjemmet (In my Native Country)
20. 4. Småfugl (Little Bird)
21. 5. Erotikk (Erotikon)
22. 6. Til våren (To spring)

Lyric Pieces for piano, Book 4, Op. 47
23. 1. Valse-Impromptu
24. 2. Albumblad (Album Leaf)
25. 3. Melodi (Melody)
26. 4. Halling
27. 5. Melankoli (Melancholy)
28. 6. Springdans
29. 7. Elegi (Elegy)

CD 02
Lyric Pieces for piano, Book 5, Op. 54
01. 1. Gjetergutt (Shepherd’s Boy)
02. 2. Gangar
03. 3. Trolltog (March of the Dwarfs)
04. 4. Notturno
05. 5. Scherzo
06. 6. Klokkeklang (Bell Ringing)

Lyric Pieces for piano, Book 6, Op. 57
07. 1. Svunne dager (Vanished Days)
08. 2. Gade
09. 3. Illujion (Illusion)
10. 4. Hemmelighet (Secret)
11. 5. Hun danser (She Dances)
12. 6. Hjemve (Homesickness)

Lyric Pieces for piano, Book 7, Op. 62
13. 1. Sylfide (Sylph)
14. 2. Takk (Gratitude)
15. 3. Fransk serenade (French Serenade)
16. 4. Bekken (Brooklet)
17. 5. Dråmmesyn (Phantom)
18. 6. Hjemad (Homeward)

CD 03
Lyric Pieces for piano, Book 8, Op. 65
01. 1. Fra ungdomsdagene (From Early Years)
02. 2. Bondens sang (Peasant’s Song)
03. 3. Tungsinn (Melancholy)
04. 4. Salong (Salon)
05. 5. I balladetone (Ballad)
06. 6. Bryllupsdag på Troldhaugen (Wedding-day at Troldhaugen)

Lyric Pieces for piano, Book 9, Op. 68
07. 1. Matrosernes oppsang (Sailor’s Song)
08. 2. Bestemors menuett (Grandmother’s Minuet)
09. 3. For dine føtter (At Your Feet)
10. 4. Aften på høyfellet (Evenings in the Mountains)
11. 5. Bådnlåt (At the Cradle)
12. 6. Valse mélancolique

Lyric Pieces for piano, Book 10, Op. 71
13. 1. Det var engang (Once Upon a Time)
14. 2. Sommeraften (Summer’s Eve)
15. 3. Småtroll (Puck)
16. 4. Skogstillhet (Peace of the Woods)
17. 5. Halling
18. 6. Forbi (Gone)
19. 7. Efterklang (Remembrances)

CD 04
Pieces (4) for piano, Op. 1
01. 1. Allegro con leggerezza
02. 2. Non allegro e molto espressivo
03. 3. Mazurka
04. 4. Allegro con moto

Poetic Tone-Pictures for piano, Op. 3
05. 1. Allegro, ma non troppo
06. 2. Allegro cantabile
07. 3. Con moto
08. 4. Andante con sentimento
09. 5. Allegro moderato
10. 6. Allegro scherzando

Humoresques for piano, Op. 6
11. 1. Tempo di Valse
12. 2. Tempo di Menuetto ed energico
13. 3. Allegro con grazia
14. 4. Allegro alla burla

Piano Sonata in E minor, Op. 7
15. 1. Allegro moderato
16. 2. Andante molto
17. 3. Alla Menuetto, ma non poco più lento
18. 4. Finale. Molto allegro

19. Sørgemarsj over Rikard Nordraak, for piano (or winds) in A minor, EG 107

CD 05
Norwegian Folk Songs and Dances for piano, Op. 17
01. 1. Springdans
02. 2. Ungersvennen (The Swain)
03. 3. Springdans
04. 4. Nils Tallefjorden
05. 5. Jølstring (Dance from Jølster)
06. 6. Brurelåt (Wedding Tune)
07. 7. Halling
08. 8. Grisen (The Pig)
09. 9. Når mitt øye (Religious Song)
10 10. Friervise (The Wooer’s Song)
11. 11. Kjempevise (Heroic Ballad)
12. 12. Solfager og ormekongen (Solfager and the Snake-King)
13. 13. Reiselåt (Wedding March)
14. 14. Jeg sjunger med sorrigfullt, hjerte (I Sing with a Sorrowful Heart)
15. 15. Den siste lørdagskvelden (Last Saturday Evening)
16. 16. Eg veit ei lita jente (I Know a Little Maiden)
17. 17. Kleggen og Fluga (The Gadfly and the Fly)
18. 18. Stabbelåten (Peasant Dance)
19. 19. Hølje Dale
20. 20. Halling
21. 21. Sæbygga (The Woman from Setesdal)
22. 22. Kulokk (Cow-call)
23. 23. Så du nokke kjerringa mi (Peasant Song)
24. 24. Brurelåt (Wedding Tune)
25. 25. Rabnabryllup i Kråkelund (The Raven’s Wedding)

Folkelivsbilleder (Scenes from Folk Life) for piano, Op. 19
26. 1. Fjellslått (In the Mountains)
27. 2. Brudefølget (Bridal Procession)
28. 3. Fra karnevalet (From the Carnival)

Album Leaves for piano, Op. 28
29. 1. Allegro con motto
30. 2. Allegretto espressivo
31. 3. Vivace
32. 4. Andantino serioso – Allegro giocoso

Improvisations on Two Norwegian Folk Songs, for piano, Op. 29
33. 1. Allegretto con moto
34. 2. Andante

CD 06
01. Ballade for piano in G minor (“In the Form of Variations on a Norwegian Melody”), Op. 24

Peer Gynt Suite for orchestra (or piano or piano, 4 hands) No. 1, Op. 46
02. 1. Morgenstemning (Morning Mood)
03. 2. Aases død (The Death of Åse)
04. 3. Anitras dans (Anitra’s Dance)
05. 4. Dovregubbens hall (In the Hall of the Mountain King)

Peer Gynt Suite for orchestra (or piano or piano, 4 hands) No. 2, Op. 55
06. 1. Briderovet. Ingrids klage (The Abduction of the Bride. Ingrid’s Lament)
07. 2. Arabisk dans (Arabian Dance)
08. 3. Peer Gynts hjemfart. Stormfull aften på havet (Peer Gynt’s Homcoming. Stormy Evening on the Sea)
09. 4. Solveigs sang (Solveig’s Song)

Sigurd Jorsalfar, suite for orchestra (or piano or piano, 4 hands), Op. 56
10. 1. Forspill: Ved mannjevningen (Prelude: At the marching Game)
11. 2. Intermezzo: Borghilds drøm (Intermezzo: Borghild’s Dream)
12. 3. Hyldningsmarsj (Homage March)

CD 07
Fra Holbergs tid (From Holberg’s Time), for piano (“Holberg Suite”), Op. 40
01. 1. Prelude
02. 2. Sarabande
03. 3. Gavotte
04. 4. Air
05. 5. Rigaudon

Elegiac Melodies for orchestra (or piano), Op. 34
06. 1. Hjertesår (The Wounded Heart)
07. 2. Våren (Last Spring)

Waltz-Caprices for piano, 4 hands (or solo piano), Op. 37
08. 1. Tempo di Valse moderato
09. 2. Tempo di Valse

Olav Trygvason, opera, Op. 50 (incomplete)
10. 1. Bønn (Prayer)
11. 2. Tempeldans (Temple Dance)

Nordic Melodies for string orchestra (or piano or piano, 4 hands), Op. 63
12. 1. I folketonestil (In Folk Style)
13. 2. Kulokk (Cow Call)
14. 3. Stabbelåten (Peasant Dance)

CD 08
Norwegian Folk Songs (19) for piano, Op. 66
01. 1. Kulokk (Cow-call)
02. 2. Det er den største dårlighet (It is the Greatest Foolishness)
03. 3 . En konge hersket i Østerland (A King Ruled in the East)
04. 4. Siri Dale-visen (The Siri Dale Song)
05. 5. Det var i min ungdom (It was in my Youth)
06. 6. Lokk og bådnlåt (Cow-call and Lullaby)
07. 7. Bådnlåt (Lullaby)
08. 8 Lokk (Cow-call)
09. 9. Liten va guten (Small was the Lad)
10. 10. Morgo skal du få gifte deg (Tomorrow You Shall Marry)
11. 11. Der stander to piger (There Stood Two Girls)
12. 12. Ranveig
13. 13. En liten grå mann (A Little Grey Man)
14. 14. I Ola-dalom, I Ola-kjønn (In Ola Valley, in Ola Lake)
15. 15. Bådnlåt (Lullaby)
16. 16. Ho vesle Astrid vår (Little Astrid)
17. 17. Bådnlåt (Lullaby)
18. 18. Jeg går i tusen tankar (I Wander Deep in Thought)
19. 19. Gjendines Bådnlåt (Gjendine’s Lullaby)

Song Transcriptions for piano, Op. 41
20. 1. Vuggesang (Cradle Song)
21. 2. Lille Haakon (Margaret’s Cradle Song)
22. 3. Jeg elsker dig (I Love Thee)
23. 4. Hun er så hvid (My love she was so pure)
24. 5. Prinsessen (The Princess)
25. 6. Til våren (To Springtime)

Song Transcriptions for piano, Op. 52
26. 1. Modersorg (A Mother’s Grief)
27. 2. Det første møte (The First Meeting)
28. 3. Du fatter ej bølgernes evige gang (The Poet’s Heart)
29. 4. Solveigs sang (Solveig’s Song)
30. 5. Kjælighed (Love)
31. 6. Gamle mor (The Old Mother)

CD 09
Slåtter (Norwegian Peasant Dances) for piano, Op. 72
01. 1. Gibøens bruremarsj (Gibøens Bridal March)
02. 2. Jon Væstafæs springdans (Jon Væstafæs Springdans)
03. 3. Bruremarsj fra Telemark (Bridal March from Telemark)
04. 4. Haugelåt. Halling (Halling from the Fairy Hill)
05. 5. Prillaren fra Os prestegjeld (The Prillar from Os Parish)
06. 6. Gangar etter Myllarguten (Myllarguten’s Gangar)
07. 7. Røtnams-Knut. Halling
08. 8. Bruremarsj etter Myllarguten (Myllarguten’s Wedding March)
09. 9. Nils Rekves halling (Nils Rekve’s Halling)
10. 10. Knut Luråsens halling 1 (Knut Luråsen’s Halling 1)
11. 11. Knut Luråsens halling 2 (Knut Luråsen’s Halling 2)
12. 12. Springdans etter Myllarguten (Myllarguten’s Springdans)
13. 13. Håvard Gibøens draum ved Oterholtsbrua (Håvard Gibøen’s Dream at Oterholt Bridge)
14. 14. Tussebrureferda på Vossevangen. Gangar (The Goblins’ Bridal Procession at Vossevangen)
15. 15. Skuldalsbrura. Gangar (The Skuldal Bride)
16. 16. Kivlemøyane. Springdans (The Maidens from Kivledal)
17. 17. Kivlemøyane. Gangar (The Maidens from Kivledal)

Stimmungen (Moods) for piano, Op. 73
18. 1. Resignasjon (Resignation)
19. 2. Scherzo-Impromptu
20. 3. Nattlig ritt (Night Ride)
21. 4. Folketone (Folk Melody)
22. 5. Studie (Hommage à Chopin)
23. 6. Studenternes serenade (Students’ Serenade)
24. 7. Lualåt (Mountain Tune)

Pieces for piano, EG 110-112 (edited by Julius Röntgen)
25. 1. Hvite skyer (White Clouds), EG 110
26. 2. Tusseslått (Procession of Gnomes), Eg 111
27. 3. Dansen går (In the Whirl of the Dance), EG 112

CD 10
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16
01. 1. Allegro molto moderato
02. 2. Adagio
03. 3. Allegro moderato molto e marcato

Norwegian Dances for piano, 4 hands (or solo piano), Op. 35
04. 1. Allegro marcato
05. 2. Allegretto tranquillo e grazioso
06. 3. Allegro moderato alla marcia
07. 4. Allegro molto

Melodies for string orchestra (or piano), Op. 53
08. 1. Norsk (Norwegian)
09. 2. Det første møte (The First Meeting)

Norwegian Melodies (154) for piano (“Norwegian Mountain Melodies”), EG 108
10. 1. Springdans (Rustic Dance)
11. 2. Bådnlåt – Vuggevise (Lullaby)
12. 3. Springdans (Rustic Dance)
13. 4. Sjugur å trollbrura – Folkevise (Popular Ditty)
14. 5. Halling
15. 6. Guten og jenta på fjøshellen (The Lad and the Lass on the Barn Floor)

CD 11
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16
01. 1. Allegro molto moderato
02. 2. Adagio
03. 3. Allegro moderato molto e marcato

04. Larvikspolka, for piano, EG 101

Small Pieces for piano, EG 104
05. 1. Allegro agitato
06. 2. Allegro desiderio
07. 3. Molto Allegro vivace
08. 4. Andante; quasi Allegretto
09. 5. Allegro assai
10. 6. Allegro con moto
11. 7. Andante, quasi Allegretto
12. 8. Präludium. Allegro assai
13. 9. Andante, moderato
14. 10. Andante con gravità
15. 11. Vivace
16. 12. Largo con estro poetica
17. 13. Allegretto con moto
18. 14. Allegretto con moto
19. 15. 2-stemmig präludium. Con passione
20. 16. Allegro assai, quasi Presto
21. 17. Molto Adagio religioso
22. 18. Allegro molto
23. 19. Andante moderato
24. 20. Allegro vivace
25. 21. Andante moderato
26. 22. Nicht zu schnell, ruhig
27. 23. Assai Allegro furioso

CD 12
Pieces for piano, EG 105
01. 1. Allegro agitato
02. 2. Allegretto
03. 3. Allegro molto e vivace, quasi Presto
04. Agitato for piano, EG 106

Ved Halfdan Kjerulfs Mindestøtte (At Halfdan Kjerulf’s Statue), for piano (arranged from cantata), EG 167
05. 1. Poco adagio
06. 2. Andante

Norwegian Melodies for piano (“Norwegian Mountain Melodies”), EG 108
07. No. 8: Margretes Vuggesang
08. No. 14: Norsk Sjømandssang
09. No. 17: “Fremad!”
10. No. 38: Ungbirken
11. No. 57: Bjørneskytten
12. No. 71: Min Tankes Tanke
13. No. 90: Vandring i Skoven
14. No. 95: To brune Øjne
15. No. 113: Serenade til Welhaven
16. No. 150: Det første Møde

Peer Gynt, incidental music, Op. 23
17. Forspill til 3. akt. Aases Død (Prelude to Act 3. The Death of Åse)
18. Arabisk Dans (Arabian Dans)
19. Anitras Dans (Anitra’s Dance)
20. Solveigs Sang (Solveig’s Song)
21. Dans av Dovregubbens Datter (Dance of the Mountain King’s Daughter)
22. Album Leaf for piano, EG 109
23. Entry March of the Boyars for orchestra

Excellent recordings of Grieg’s works by one of the finest Norwegian pianists of the 20th century.

These recordings are extraordinary. Grieg, Schubert, and Schumann have always been my favorites, but the late Eva Knardahl was to Grieg’s works as say, Alfred Brendel, Murray Perihia, or Andras Schiff are to Schubert’s. These recordings are DDD which surprised me since the CD 16-bit/44.1K sampling rate standards completed their evolution in the early 1980s and some of these recordings are from 1980 and the analog 1970s and earlier.

Sonically, these must have been recorded on some excellent early DAT recorder as they hold up extremely well to the most revealing current D/A conversion and amplification. The signal-to-noise ratio must be extremely high, and the dynamic range just blew me away. Microphone placement was very careful so as to eliminate the potential for capturing the performer’s breathing sounds. For example, if you listen carefully to some of Brendel’s work, as fantastic as he is, you can literally hear his sinus trouble on soft passages. The realism and the tonality of the piano, perfectly even-tempered, listened to in a dark room through the best headphones….will transport you. Some may call this hyperbole. They are wrong. If you like Grieg, you’ll love these recordings. I had the priivilege of borrowing this set from a friend before I purchased it. Less than halfway through it, I ordered the 12-CD set for my own.
For those familiar with Grieg’s Lyric Pieces, there are very few recordings containing more than 24 – 26 of them. Eva Knardahl plays all sixty-six pieces and may be the only artist who ever did so on a 20th century recording.

A set for all time

Eva Knardahl gives us all of Grieg’s published solo works, along with some music WOO, plus two versions of the great Piano Concerto in A minor: original and revised. Phew! is BIS thorough.

Knardahl may not have had the level of elevated musical inspiriation as did Emil Gilels, whose DG recording of selections from the Lyric Pieces is a must, though the piano sound isn’t as good; and it is not complete. But Knardahl has a musical spirit, secure technique, and lovely sound production at her instrument. The Gilels comparison is not at all disparaging. Knardahl is mistress of this–often soulful, sometimes joyful–music. Every piece has a story, much of it developed from Grieg’s work with Norwegian folk music. As Bartok and Kodaly were, in Hungary, Grieg was to his native land: a researcher and collector, who then transformed the old themes he found into this lovely, lovely music.

Knardahl’s piano is reproduced with such glowing realism that only a persnickety of audiophile–maybe the kind who loves equipment more than music–would declare this to be anything less than state-of-art. It was produced in 2006 by people who surely knew a thing or two about piano sound. Knardahl knows, and feels, much more than that. If you have some knowledge of the music, or a yen to try it, do not hesitate.

Most warmly recommended
John H. Pendley