The music on this album is unknown, even in Norway, and the album's goal, according to Norwegian National Opera music director Håvard Vegge, is "to make the music accessible to listeners in the hope of generating new interest in and discussion about why this part of our cultural heritage has been left to lie untouched." Despite the modest and local dimensions of this aim, the album has hit the top ranks of sales charts beyond Norway, suggesting not only the strength of interest in the music of the "periphery" but also the enjoyable qualities of the music. These overtures and the operas from which they come were forgotten probably due to comparison with Grieg, who started an opera but left it unfinished. They don't manage his evocation of national spirit, yet these overtures and dances, dating from between 1825 and 1940, draw on a wide variety of sources. The Fjeldeventyret Overture by Waldemar Thrane is in the Weber vein, with a nice dramatic development within the main fast section. Other works draw on Wagner, such as the Væringene i Miklagard Overture (did you know that Miklagard was the Viking name for Constantinople?), with the pleasing effect of hearing the locals treat the Norse mythology that inspired Wagner. There's an overture to a German-language opera, some that reflect Russian influences, and some that aspire to a mainstream late Romantic sound. Almost all the pieces are part of operas that were successful in their own time and maintain appeal in ours, and they receive lively, clean performances by the Norwegian National Opera Orchestra, an ensemble that will be new to most listeners, under Ingar Bergby. The commercial success of this album from the always innovative Lawo Classics label is no surprise.