A native of Bergen, Edvard Grieg almost single-handedly brought the riches of Norwegian national style to worldwide attention during the 19th century with the use of folk music in his compositions. The ambitiously scaled Symphonic Dances features a compelling selection of regional melodies and jaunty rhythms to brilliant effect. Music from the eloquent drama of Sigurd Jorsalfar and the Two Elegiac Melodies are also included along with the Bridal Procession and the ever-popular Lyric Suite. These classic Vox recordings by Maurice Abravanel and the Utah Symphony Orchestra were originally issued in 1976 and have been newly remastered from the original tapes.

These VOX Audiophile Edition recordings were first released in 1976 on a quadraphonic LP pressing QSVBX 5140. They also appeared in the 1990s as part of a 2-disc VOX Box edition CDX 5048. These recordings have been given a new lease of life by going back to the original Elite Recordings master tapes, which have been newly transferred to disc in 192 kHz/24-bit high definition.

This release will appear alongside its forthcoming companion Grieg disc from Utah, VOX-NX-3039CD with the popular Peer Gynt Suites and other beloved orchestral works (scheduled for release in May 2024). These recordings have been widely admired since their first appearance.

This release joins our previous re-releases of Tchaikovsky’s symphonies and other orchestral works with the Utah Symphony conducted by Maurice Abravanel, considered “undoubtedly an event of significance, [featuring] impressive performances of Tchaikovsky’s masterpieces, which demonstrate the outstanding skills of the conductor and the orchestra” (Online Merker).

The Utah Symphony’s reputation as one of the nation’s high-ranking orchestras (Esquire’s Martin Mayer called it one of the ten best in America) was the result of the dedicated work of Maurice Abravanel, who was its Conductor and Musical Director for 32 years. Under his baton it received ovations throughout the United States and in the music capitals of Europe for its concerts, and critical acclaim throughout the world for its impressive list of recordings on several labels.