Helge Evju: Piano Concerto sopra Grieg
“Evju’s Concerto after Grieg is a cunningly shrewd work, very entertaining, and well worth the attention of pianophiles.”
© 2015 American Record Guide
We're delighted to introduce you to a beautiful new work by the Norwegian composer Helge Evju, the new Concerto sopra Grieg.
On this page you'll find:
An audio excerpt of the recording
The full score of the concerto
An introduction by the composer
A performer's guide by the composer
Reviews
Helge Evju: Concerto sopra Grieg
Audio Excerpt from the Scherzo
Helge Evju: Concerto sopra Grieg
Full Orchestral Score
Helge Evju: Concerto sopra Grieg
Introduction by the composer
Download a PDF file of the introduction
Helge Evju: Concerto sopra Grieg
A performer's guide by the composer
Download a PDF file of the performer's guide
Reviews
Helge Evju: Concerto sopra Grieg
Reviews of the Grand Piano recording
Alan Becker
American Record Guide, November 2015
“Evju’s Concerto after Grieg is a cunningly shrewd work, very entertaining, and well worth the attention of pianophiles.”
© 2015 American Record Guide
Jeremy Nicholas
Gramophone, September 2015
“[The B minor concerto] makes the disc appealing, along with Evju’s two Earl Wild inspired Grieg song transcriptions, played with commanding virtuosity by Petersson.”
© 2015 Gramophone
Bruce Reader
The Classical Reviewer, July 2015
“All in all, this (disc) proves to be a fascinating musical experience. Carl Petersson brings a spontaneity to his playing with Kerry Stratton and the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra providing some lovely rather leisurely orchestral passages. I cannot imagine any Grieg enthusiast not wanting to hear this fascinating disc finely recorded and with first rate performances from all concerned.”
© 2015 The Classical Reviewer
Mark J. Estren
Infodad.com, June 2015
“Carl Petersson plays the Evju concerto with the same stylishness and attentiveness that he brings to the A minor… Even that thrice-familiar concerto sounds fresh rather than being a Romantic-era warhorse here… This is a very well-played and in many ways exceptionally interesting release, featuring not only first-rate pianism but also very fine accompaniment by the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra under Kerry Stratton. The transcriptions and the Evju concerto here receive their world première recordings and are well worth listening to—not just once but repeatedly.”
© 2015 Infodad.com
Kjell Moe
Kulturspeilet, June 2015
“A praiseworthy release!”
© 2015 Kulturspeilet
David Denton
David's Review Corner, June 2015
“It comes as a surprise to find Grieg’s overly-recorded Piano Concerto appearing on a label we have always taken as a major champion of neglected solo piano music. There is very good reason, for this is a performance in Percy Grainger’s edition, he and Grieg having worked on the score when the young pianist visited the composer’s home in 1907 prior to his performance in the Leeds Festival later that year. The edition that resulted marked with those changes made together with the composer, and his own amendments.
Listen to this very worthy performance from the Swedish pianist, Carl Petersson, and you will find little has changed when taken in the context of the many encrustations that have appeared in the multitudinous views of the work on disc. The real fascination comes with a Piano Concerto by Helge Evju based on scraps of music left by Grieg that appear to have been for a ‘follow-up’ concerto that was abandoned. From these the Norwegian pianist and composer has created a score of similar length and in the style of Grieg. The opening bars rather creep the score into life, Evju’s use of the fragments being both judicious and without obvious repetition.
If he uses Grieg pastiche in the accompaniment, his joyful second movement is very much his own, and just as charming as anything Grieg composed. A quiet cadenza leads to a sentimental slow movement that builds to an impassioned climax before another soft-grained cadenza leads to a vivacious and brilliant finale. Not an earth shattering revelation, but there are certainly many less deserving concertos in the standard repertoire. Two ‘encore’ pieces, in Evju arrangements, complete the disc. Most enjoyable performances, with good orchestral support.”
© 2015 David’s Review Corner