While not a flawless collection of the orchestral music of
Edvard Grieg, this two-disc set is still mandatory listening for anyone who loves
Grieg. The most obvious flaw in the set is the inclusion of nine of
Grieg's Lyric Pieces: the pieces themselves are beautiful and the performances by
Daniel Adni are lovely but by no stretch of the imagination could they be described as orchestral music. A much lesser flaw is the inclusion of slightly too sentimental performances of the Two Elegiac Melodies and the Suite: From Holberg's Time by
Paul Tortelier and the
Northern Sinfonia. A much, much lesser flaw is the inclusion of slightly too severe performances of the Symphonic Dances and the Old Norwegian Romance with Variations by
Paavo Berglund and the
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. But with the heartrendingly emotional and breathtakingly beautiful performances of the Homage March from
Sigurd Jorsalfar, the Norwegian Dances, and especially the Lyric Suite by John Barbirolli with the
Hallé Orchestra and arguably the greatest recording of In Autumn by
Thomas Beecham with the
Royal Philharmonic, anyone who loves
Grieg's music will have to hear these discs. EMI's digital remastering of the stereo originals is warm, round, and detailed.