The Very Best of Adagio

". . . el sonido pur�simo y �nico de la Deutsche y la multidimensionalidad de la Filarm�nica de Berlin comparten espacio con grabaciones de cortar la respiraci�n, pertenecientes a los dominios que mejor conoc�a el director." --Record Review, Mel�mano (Madrid), 1 February 2006

Includes work(s) by various composers. Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Herbert von Karajan.

Great Piano Concertos (10-CD Box Set)

"The box set Great Piano Concertos has been produced to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Naxos and draws on their extensive catalogue of concerto recordings. The recording quality varies from the older 1980�s recordings but there are some good things to enjoy in the 10 CD set particularly Idil Biret playing the two Chopin piano concerts with the Slovak State Philharmonic under Rubert Stankovsky. The two Liszt concertos with Eldar Nebolsin and the RLPO under Petrenko are also very enjoyable as is Jeno Jando playing the Grieg and Schumann concertos with the Budapest Symphony under Andr�s Ligeti. There are finer performances available in the catalogue of these works but this box set give an excellent introduction at a bargain price." --Audiophilia, May 2012

At the very heart of a concerto is the interplay and contrast of a solo instrument within a larger instrumental ensemble. The natural progression from the Baroque concerto grosso, the concerto as we know it was fully established as a concert staple in the eighteenth century, and many works dating from this period are still a key part of the repertoire today. The opportunity for dazzling virtuosic display from the soloist has resulted in the concerto becoming a vital musical force both on the concert platform and in the audience arena.

The most important composer in the development of the early piano concerto was Mozart, whose masterly compositions for the instrument paved the way for expansion of the form by composers such as Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms and Grieg. In the Romantic era, composers such as Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky lent a distinctly Russian fluency and passion to the idiom, whilst no pianistic survey would be complete without the transcendent concertos of those great piano masters, Chopin and Liszt. The twentieth century transformed the piano concerto yet further with splendid offerings from a delicate Ravel, fiery Prokofiev and jazzy Gershwin to name but a few.

Grieg: String Quartets (arranged for String Orchestra)

"The Oslo Camerata�s performance is so compelling, so full of life and spirit and energy, and so well recorded, that you may well fall in love with the piece. It is played in a string-orchestra transcription that rivets your attention throughout. Total unanimity of style, a huge dynamic range and a hyper-expressive approach to the music without ever exceeding the bounds of good taste are the hallmarks of the 19-member Camerata. Two substantial movements meant for a later Grieg quartet and Arne Nordheim�s Rendezvous, music of stark beauty and riveting intensity, complete the program. Naxos�s sparkling-clear, glowing, full-bodied sound is so immediate that it almost takes on a life of its own." --Fanfare, November 2012

"Edvard Grieg�s G minor string quartet�has not achieved the popularity that it surely deserves. Here, as a veritable �symphony for strings�, especially in this gutsy, ferocious performance, it makes an unforgettable impression.

Arne Nordheim�s Rendezvous�manages to be at once contemporary, passionate, and quite moving. As with the Grieg, the performances are splendid: bold, confident, ideally balanced, and quite wonderfully recorded." --ClassicsToday.com, February 2012

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Grieg: Violin Concertos (based on the sonatas for violin and piano)

�The arrangements, clever and imaginative, are for the most part strikingly successful; the intense drama of the opening Allegro of Op 45 is well served by the sustaining power of the strings, and the colourful sonorities heard in the finales of Opp 8 and 13 accentuate the verve and energy of these ebullient pieces. And the orchestration of the first page of Op 45�s Andante as a flute solo sounds really beautiful.

�Kraggerud�has provided its players with some very attractive repertoire and they clearly respond with enthusiasm, producing performances that are precise, alert and expressive�thoroughly recommended.� --Gramophone Magazine, July 2013

 Everyone loves Grieg. Everyone wishes he had written more orchestral works in large forms. Well, now he has, more or less. I have to confess that I had some qualms about this project to arrange the three violin sonatas as violin concertos, especially on reading the statement, �In these arrangements the solo violin is set against a string orchestra augmented by wind instruments in order to retain the feel of chamber music.� After all, if you want to �retain the feel of chamber music,� why not just stick to the originals?

In turns out that listening is believing. These are superbly made arrangements. The fact is that Grieg�s writing for solo violin in a duo sonata is naturally quite different from the kind that would have been necessary in a romantic concerto for violin and large orchestra. The use of restrained forces is thus entirely appropriate, and by having four woodwinds on hand�one each of bassoon, clarinet, oboe, and flute�there�s just enough contrast to prevent monotony and color the orchestral melodies effectively. Try, for example, the bassoon solo at the start of the F major Concerto�s central Allegretto (sound clip). It�s delightful�just right.

The concluding bars of the Second Concerto�s finale basically summarize all that can be done to transform Grieg�s piano original into a work for string orchestra (second clip). To facilitate comparison, and show how effective these arrangements truly are, I also provide the violin and keyboard original (third clip). Violinist Henning Kraggerud is more than just an able transcriber (along with colleague Bernt Simen Lund). He is the excellent soloist and leader of the very fine Troms� Chamber Orchestra. They sound lovely together�by turns robust, delicate, and always sensitively balanced. The result couldn�t be more natural.

This beautifully recorded release has to be accounted one of the most successful projects of its type ever realized, and this is certainly one of the best discs of the year. -- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com