Grieg: Complete Music For Piano 4-Hands

Vencedores do Concurso Internacional de Piano de Cleveland, Robert Plano e Paola del Negro têm desenvolvido uma elogiada trajetória conjunta, interpretando um arco amplo de compositores – a gravação que fizeram de obras de Schumann recebeu elogios da crítica internacional. Agora, eles se voltam a Edvard Grieg. Formado na Alemanha, o compositor voltou à Noruega natal, e esse retorno foi decisivo ao dar forma a sua criação, muito ligada ao folclore, com o qual dialogou a partir de diferentes técnicas. Neste álbum, os músicos registram sua produção para piano a quatro mãos. O destaque é a presença dos arranjos feitos pelo próprio compositor das duas suítes Peer Gynt, suas obras mais conhecidas, que são reinventadas aqui por meio do diálogo intimista dos pianistas. Mas é bastante interessante também a maneira como os músicos recriam a atenção de Grieg ao folclore nas Danças norueguesas e nas Melodias nórdicas e a riqueza de invenção sonora presente nas duas Peças sinfônicas. Para coroar o disco, duas pequenas joias: as Valsas-capricho op. 37.

- Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) is without doubt the most significant Norwegian composer. He was educated at the Leipzig Conservatory, where his early models were Schubert and Schumann. Later, in his early twenties, he developed an affinity for Norwegian peasant culture thanks to the influence of the great Norwegian musician Ole Bull. That effected a major change in his musical outlook, and for the rest of his life he immersed himself in Norwegian literature and folk music, placing him firmly in the ranks of the nationalist composers that characterized the second half of the 19th century. He was surrounded and fascinated by Norway’s breath-taking fjords, mountains, forests and lakes; even when not directly quoting folk materials, the harmonies, rhythms, and melodic nuances of that tradition deeply influenced his musical style and approach.

- This new recording presents Grieg’s complete works for piano 4-hands. They consist of arrangements by the composer himself of his most popular works: the two Peer Gynt Suites, the Norwegian Dances and Nordic Melodies, music of great originality, beauty and power, wonderfully written for the piano, using its full coloristic resources.

- Roberto Plano (First Prize Winner at the 2001 Cleveland International Piano Competition) and Paola del Negro have long enjoyed a fruitful duet partnership; this is their second album together for Brilliant Classics, after Schumann’s complete works for piano-duet. Plano has accumulated an impressive catalogue of recordings for the label including music by Luchesi, Piatti, Sgambati and Smetana. The Luchesi (BC95811) was reviewed in glowing terms by Classics Today: ‘this wonderful pianist’s sensitive, intelligently inflected interpretations. Plano truly makes the music sound better than it is, and his artistry holds your attention… (9/10)'.