Grieg String Quartet; Svendsen Octet
Examples of the Norwegian Romantic school, featuring Svendsen’s exotic Octet
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Johann (Severin) Svendsen, Edvard Grieg
Genre:
Chamber
Label: Praga Digitals
Magazine Review Date: 4/2011
Media Format: Super Audio CD
Media Runtime: 0
Mastering:
Stereo
DDD
Catalogue Number: DSD250274
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
String Quartet No. 1 |
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Edvard Grieg, Composer Kocian Quartet |
Octet |
Johann (Severin) Svendsen, Composer
Johann (Severin) Svendsen, Composer Kocian Quartet Nostitz Quartet |
Author: DuncanDruce
It seems likely that Grieg would have known his friend Svendsen’s Octet. Written some 10 years before Grieg’s quartet, it had proved an instant success and, with its colourful harmonic style and distinctive melodies, must have appeared quite new and exotic at its first performance in Leipzig. The opening movement is based on a memorable theme, which tends to dominate obsessively; the following Allegro scherzeroso [sic] is a splendid piece, full of richly varied, fantastical invention. The Andante slow movement makes full use of the eight instruments to produce exceptionally rich, expressive textures. Here, I felt the performance needed a firmer sense of direction, but otherwise it’s an admirably vital, well-integrated account.
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