Orchestra Works 4

This is the fourth and final volume of colorful and highly appealing orchestral works by the Norwegian composer Johan Halvorsen. The series is performed by the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra under Neeme Järvi. On this disc is Halvorsen's orchestration of Grieg's piano piece Norwegian Bridal Procession. Other versions exist, but in Grieg's eyes only a native Norwegian could portray rural Norway in music without becoming too romantic or picturesque. Halvorsen considered his Norwegian Fairy Tale Pictures to be one of his best works. The suite is colorful and vividly programmatic, drawn from music that Halvorsen had written for a children's comedy.