Grieg: Complete Symphonic Works, Vol. I WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln & Eivind Aadland

• 1I. Allegretto moderato e Marcato08:14
• 2II. Allegretto Grazioso06:12
• 3III. Allegro Giocoso06:25
• 4IV. Andante - Allegro molto e Risoluto12:13
• 5I. Morning Mood04:04
• 6II. The Death of Åse05:04
• 7III. Anitra's Dance03:29
• 8IV. In the Hall of the Mountain King02:31
• 9I. The Abduction of the Bride. Ingrid's Lament04:39
• 10II. Arabian Dance04:44
• 11III. Peer Gynt's Homecoming. Stormy Evening on the Sea02:48
• 12IV. Solveig's Song05:38
• 13Lento07:15
• Total Runtime01:13:16

Info for Grieg: Complete Symphonic Works, Vol. I

'The time has come to step forward with a work which is notable in both form and content.' These were the words of Edvard Grieg's publisher, reminding the composer of the major genres of the time: symphony, oratorio, opera. But Grieg did not feel the need to write another symphony and another opera in the Middle European style. He wanted to give Norway its unique voice within European concert repertoire. And he did that with songs and piano pieces - and particularly with his symphonic works, released by audite in a five-part complete recording with Eivind Aadland and the WDR Symphony Orchestra. This first SACD of the complete edition presents Grieg's principal collections: his four Symphonic Dances Op. 64 of 1898, where the composer draws on his experiences as a conductor of the leading European orchestras; and his two suites from the incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's drama Peer Gynt, the story of the 'Nordic Faust' which inspired Grieg to compose a sonic panorama of the Norwegian character - from the melancholy song of the abandoned Solveig to the furious chase in the Hall of the Mountain King.

Eivind Aadland's roots in the tradition of Norwegian folk music audibly infl uence his interpretations. He comes from a family where Norwegian folk music played an important role, and already as a child he came into intensive contact with Grieg's music. Ideal prerequisites therefore to rediscover Grieg's symphonic works against the background of this tradition. Further details are contained in the booklet. Grieg's connections with Germany stretch from his studies in Leipzig to his numerous concert performances in that country. Added to that is the extraordinary circulation of his works in Germany. This recording with the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne therefore also represents on several levels a German-Norwegian synthesis which had already been in existence during Grieg's lifetime. This complete recording by audite includes Grieg's symphonic works as well as orchestral works from his incidental music, compiled by the composer himself. Parallel to the release of the fi rst SACD a video will be available which will be also presented on www.audite.de. The second volume of the complete edition is scheduled for release in August 2011.

Eivind Aadland was chief conductor and artistic director of the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra from 2003 until 2010 and has also worked with many other Scandinavian, European, and international orchestras. Aadland initially studied the violin with Yehudi Menuhin. From 1981 until 1989 he was concert master of the Bergen Philharmonic and from 1987 until 1997 music director of the European Union Chamber Orchestra. He subsequently devoted himself fully to his conducting career and studied with Jorma Panula.

WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln
Eivind Aadland, conductor

WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln
The WDR Symphony Orchestra of Cologne was formed in 1947 as part of the then North West German Radio (NWDR) and belongs nowadays to the West German Radio. It is not merely the studio orchestra of the WDR for radio and television productions but also presents numerous concerts in the Kölner Philharmonie and throughout the transmission area. Its outstanding reputation has been acquired in cooperation with its principal conductors – Christoph von Dohnányi, Zdenek Macal, Hiroshi Wakasugi, Gary Bertini and Hans Vonk. Celebrated guest conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Karl Böhm, Fritz Busch, Herbert von Karajan, Erich Kleiber, Otto Klemperer, Lorin Maazel, André Previn, Zubin Mehta, Sir Georg Solti and Günter Wand have also stood on the orchestra’s rostrum.

Impressive examples of the extraordinary quality of the WDR Symphony Orchestra and its stylistic versatility are the successful concert tours throughout Europe, Russia and Japan, its regular radio and television broadcasts and the numerous recordings which set high musical standards.

Apart from promoting the classical and romantic repertoire, the WDR Symphony Orchestra is known for its interpretation of works of the 20th century. Luciano Berio, Hans Werner Henze, Mauricio Kagel, Krzysztof Penderecki, Igor Stravinsky, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Bernd Alois Zimmermann are among the contemporary composers who have performed their works – mainly compositions commissioned by the radio station – with the WDR Symphony Orchestra.

Semyon Bychkov was appointed Principal Conductor of the orchestra in 1997. Under his leadership the orchestra toured very successfully in Japan, Europe, South America and the USA.

Eivind Aadland
is one of Norway’s most respected conductors. He was Chief Conductor and Artistic Leader of the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra for seven seasons from 2004, during which time he conducted the complete Beethoven and Mahler symphony cycles. His extensive work with Scandinavian orchestras includes regular guest engagements with the Oslo and Bergen Philharmonics, the Stavanger Symphony, the Gothenburg Symphony and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra. In addition Aadland has conducted critically acclaimed productions of Don Giovanni, Le nozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflöte and Die Fledermaus for Den Norske Opera, Oslo.

Aadland has also worked extensively in the Far East and Australia. In 2010 he led the Trondheim Symphony on a seven-concert tour to China and made his debut with the KBS Symphony Orchestra in Seoul. In 2011 he launched his tenure as Principal Guest Conductor of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra in Brisbane.

Eivind Aadland is a frequent visitor to the Oslo Philharmonic and WDR Symphony Orchestra Köln. He has also worked with Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse, Royal Flemish Philharmonic, Orchestre National de Belgique, Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Lausanne and Scottish Chamber Orchestras and the symphony orchestras of Melbourne, Tasmania, Iceland, Finnish Radio, Bamberg and SWR Stuttgart. Engagements in recent seasons have included debut performances with the Rotterdam and Seoul Philharmonics, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin and Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. Further engagements in recent seasons include the Trondheim and Iceland Symphony Orchestras, and a return to the Bergen Philharmonic to conduct a new visualisation by artist Alexander Polzin of Grieg’s Peer Gynt with further performances by the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra. Current highlights include concerts with the Oslo Philharmonic, WDR Köln, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de Belgique and the Staatskapelle Weimar.

Aadland’s prolific discography spans a broad repertoire range and underlines his status as a tireless champion of Norwegian music. In November 2015 the Audite label issued the final instalment of a five- volume set of Grieg’s complete symphonic works with the WDR Symphony Orchestra. He has recorded the symphonic works of Eivind Groven; and the complete music for violin and orchestra of Arne Nordheim for BIS Records. Aadland’s catalogue includes a recording with the Bergen Philharmonic of Irgens-Jensen's works and the music of Ole Bull with the Trondheim Symphony on the Simax label; and two CDs devoted to the orchestral music of Irgens-Jensen and Schjelderup for CPO Records. He has also recorded for Hyperion, ASV, IMP Classics and Koch. Aadland recently recorded an album for EMI Classics with the trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, complete with transcriptions and arrangements of songs by, among others, Grieg, Strauss, Dvořák, Sibelius, Korngold, Mahler and Weill.

This album contains no booklet.