Unsung Grieg

[sdtom]

I've been listening to Grieg's only symphony in C minor and have found it intriguing although there are some who disagree.
Tom

[Alan Howe]

I've always thought it a delightful work in every way. The main criticism seems to be that it is early and therefore uncharacteristic of the mature Grieg, but frankly I think the best approach is to take it on its own terms.

[Ilja]

Agreed. The symphony has taken a lot of undue flak, which it does not deserve. It is of course very much of its time and, perhaps unusually so for Grieg, of its (geographical) area: you can see how it occupies the same world as the Svendsen (which so intimidated Grieg), 2nd Winter-Hjelm, Heise, Byström and Norman symphonies. Having said that, to me it feels decidedly more "muscular" than either of those.

[Alan Howe]

Not more muscular than, say, Norman's 3rd, surely - or either of Svendsen's symphonies. But I agree about the others.

[mbhaub]

Remember the uproar when that first recording came out? Grieg never wanted it to be performed, but oh well, it was a nice revelation and sure added to our knowledge of the composer. But can anyone explain how this symphony is not in the PD in the US? The manuscript is online. The composer has been dead longer than needed for copyright. I can understand the published, nicely typeset version being under copyright, but not the original. What's to stop someone from creating their own performing edition from the MS? It would be a nice addition to the repertoire of amateur and semi-professional orchestras, but rental fees put a damper on that.

[cypressdome]

In regard to the copyright status of Grieg's manuscript for his symphony I ran into that bizarre aspect of U.S. copyright law when posting the manuscript of Mahler's Piano Quartet on IMSLP.  The chief copyright reviewer there explained it in this thread in which he states: "Because under US law until 2003, an unpublished work - even of an author dead for hundreds of years - was subject to common law copyright (basically a perpetual copyright) until first publication, at which point the clock started running on the work itself, not just the edition thereof."  Fortunately, as of Jan. 1, 2003 all unpublished works of authors who died over 70 years ago entered the public domain in the U.S.  Considering how copyright law in the U.S. is all about the money that was at least a bit of luck.

[sdtom]

I've never heard it performed in concert

[chill319]

...but frankly I think the best approach is to take it on its own terms.

The very essence of what approaching unsung composers is about!

[sdtom]

do you remember the first recording? I can't but I remember having an LP and listening to it over and over commenting on why the San Diego Symphony never played it.

[Alan Howe]

The first recording was with Karsten Andersen and the Bergen Symphony Orchestra.

[sdtom]

do you remember what label?

[mbhaub]

It was on London (Decca in Europe) and was an early example of digital recording. You can get it on CD on the Decca Eloquence label from Australia. It's coupled with a marvelous reading of Goldmark's Rustic Wedding Symphony from Lopez-Cobos and the LA Philharmonic.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Also available as an MP3 download on Amazon UK
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Grieg-Symphony-Goldmark-Australian-Eloquence/dp/B00P56ELF4/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1466974046&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=Grieg+Decca+Eloquence

[sdtom]

Did it come out on digital as a premiere recording?

[Alan Howe]

Yes.