A delightful – and generous (80+ minutes) – coupling of two singular symphonies. Grieg’s Symphony in C minor is an early effort and the first ever recording of this work with the Bergen Symphony Orchestra and Karsten Andersen. It makes its first international appearance on CD. The charming ‘Rustic Wedding Symphony’, full of good humour and boisterous spirits, has not been available for some time and makes an ideal coupling.
EDVARD GRIEG
Symphony in C minor
KARL GOLDMARK
Rustic Wedding Symphony
Bergen Symphony Orchestra
Karsten Andersen [1]
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
Jesús López-Cobos [2]
‘The Decca recording is truthfully balanced, with good perspective and colour, and detail reproduces with fine definition’ [Grieg] *** Penguin Guide
‘A refreshing and attractive reading of the Goldmark’ Penguin Guide
‘López-Cobos leads a very good performance [of the Goldmark], characterized by lively tempos and fine playing by the Los Angeles Philharmonic’ ClassicsToday.com
‘The recordings sound exceedingly fine’ Fanfare
‘a terrific bargain…don’t miss this one!’ International Record Review