EDVARD GRIEG EDITION (25 CDS)

It’s easy to dismiss Edvard Grieg because of the familiarity of the Peer Gynt Suite and the Piano Concerto in A minor, but to listen to just those works is only scratching the surface of a diverse repertoire. Grieg’s works drew international attention to Norway and, for a while, the composer succeeded Mendelssohn as Britain’s most popular living composer. This set is an immersive experience, as we delve into the lush green landscapes of Grieg’s homeland.The collection opens with In Autumn, an arrangement of a traditional Reapers’ Song, followed by his celebrated Piano concerto in A minor Op.16, which Franz Liszt enjoyed playing. Other admirers of his music included close friend Antonín Dvořák, Johannes Brahms and Tchaikovsky, who wrote in 1888: ‘In [Grieg’s] music there prevails a fascinating melancholy which seems to reflect in itself all the beauty of Norwegian scenery, now grandiose and sublimein its vast expanse…’. However, not everyone was a fan and Debussy dismissed his music as