Sigurd Slattebrekk - Grieg: Chasing the Butterfly

On this fascinating release pianist Sigurd Sl�ttebrekk has attempted to recreate the performance of Edvard Grieg's own pioneering acoustic recording from 1903 of several of his solo pieces. The session was recorded on Grieg's own 1892 Steinway at Troldhaugen. On the bonus second CD he is joined by the Oslo Philharmonic and conductor Michail Jurowski in a performance of Grieg's Piano Concerto.

Sigurd Sl�ttebrekk has previously released acclaimed recordings of Ravel and Schumann, co-created the animated TV-series Elias for children (Emmy nomination 2006) and is now finishing his thesis on late 19th Century pianist performing styles. Tony Harrison is a classical music producer regarded as among the foremost and most creative in his field today.

The 1903 acoustic recordings of Grieg playing nine of his own piano pieces are well known. Sigurd Sl�ttebrekk and creative director Tony Harrison were drawn to the artistic quality of the playing itself, and this evolved into a historic pioneering project of 'musical archaeology', reviving a performance tradition from over a hundred years ago. They have listened in depth to each detail of Grieg's own playing and tried to imitate the performances at Grieg's piano at Troldhaugen. Sl�ttebrekk has not only recorded the pieces Grieg himself made, he has also further applied what he has learned about Grieg's approach to performance in his completion of the Sonata in E minor, and the epic Ballade in G minor.

Personnel: Sigurd Sl�ttebrekk (Grieg's own piano at Troldhaugen), Edvard Grieg (piano, 1903 acoustic recordings), Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Michail Jurowski (conductor), Tony Harrison (creative director)