Edvard Grieg - Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16; Best Recording?

[infinitesymphony]

Classical lovers, I need your help...

This past Sunday, I heard Grieg's "Piano Concerto in A Minor" for the very first time. The pianist (Mary Rose Jordan) was absolutely amazing, and I was blown away by the integration of piano and orchestra. Now, I'm looking for some of the best recorded versions of the piece.

Also, I'll throw out a recommendation to anyone who likes either impressionism, romanticism, or a combination of the two to check out this piece if you haven't heard it.

 

[ooheadsoo]

The Radu Lupu/Andre Previn recording's pretty good.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ooheadsoo /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Radu Lupu/Andre Previn recording's pretty good.

Thanks for the recommendation. The samples on Amazon sound very good. I compared the Lupu/Previn/LSO recording with the Zimerman/Karajan/Berlin performance, and I much prefer the former. I'm not a big fan of rubato or dead-serious and heavy-handed interpretations, especially with a fun and beautiful piece like this one, so the Lupu recording is a better fit for me.

What else is there along similar lines?

 

[mbhaub]

There are so many great versions of this that there is no "best", but Andsnes and Kovacevich certainly lead the pack. My own personal favorite is the ancient Percy Grainger with Stokowski. He played it more magically than anyone, but alas the sound is not so good.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbhaub /img/forum/go_quote.gif There are so many great versions of this that there is no "best", but Andsnes and Kovacevich certainly lead the pack. My own personal favorite is the ancient Percy Grainger with Stokowski. He played it more magically than anyone, but alas the sound is not so good.

Yeah, I meant to put "Best Recordings"... Variation is always nice. Grainger/Stokowski sounds very interesting. I just listened to the Amazon.com samples for that one, too... Could be another winner in my book. I guess that regarding classical recordings, I consider sound quality secondary to performance.

Wow, great dynamics and tempi on the Andsnes release, too (also judging by samples). Interesting piano tone, too. Sounds great! Thanks for the recommendations...

So many good recordings from which to choose.

 

[whistler]

Earl Wilde's recording, Chesky Records CD 50, is good.

Grieg: Complete Piano Music Vol 10 / Eva Knardahl is also good.