Edvard Grieg (1843–1907) Peer Gynt Suites Nos. 1 & 2 - Vinyl Transfer (1958) [GGL 0029]

Описание: A carefully digitised transfer from an original mono vinyl pressing of Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suites Nos. 1 and 2, performed by the Hamburg Staatsoper Orchestra. Issued on the Golden Guinea label by Pye Records, this recording was first published in, and this pressing is, of 1958.

Programme & Timestamps

Suite No. 1

00:00 – Morning Mood
04:18 – Death of Åse
09:09 – Anitra’s Dance
12:50 – In the Hall of the Mountain King

(Side change with silent interval and rear sleeve display)

Suite No. 2

15:33 – Stormy Night – The Return of Peer Gynt
18:12 – Arabian Dance
22:44 – Rape of the Bride
26:35 – Solveig’s Song

Composer and context:

Edvard Grieg (1843–1907) composed the incidental music for Henrik Ibsen’s verse drama Peer Gynt between 1874 and 1875, at a time when Norwegian cultural identity was asserting itself against wider European romanticism. While Grieg was steeped in Germanic compositional tradition, his melodic language, modal inflections, and orchestral colouring drew heavily on Norwegian folk idioms and landscape imagery.

The two Peer Gynt suites were later assembled by Grieg himself for concert use, distilling the dramatic music into orchestral movements that contrast pastoral lyricism with grotesque fantasy and elemental force. These suites became among the most frequently performed orchestral works of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, firmly embedding Grieg’s music in the international symphonic repertoire.

Recording and pressing notes

This release was issued by Pye Records under the Golden Guinea imprint.

This copy exhibits characteristics consistent with an early Golden Guinea pressing, including a noticeable but stable noise floor, most apparent during quieter passages. No attempt has been made to suppress or mask this, as it forms part of the historical artefact and does not intrude materially on musical detail.

Source and transfer notes

Source: Personal vinyl collection
This copy was wet-cleaned prior to transfer. Playback was stable, with no skips or mistracking. Surface noise remains audible at a low level throughout, consistent with the age and pressing quality of the record.

Playback chain

Turntable: Audio-Technica AT-LP120XUSB
Cartridge: Audio-Technica AT-VM95E
Stylus: Elliptical (0.3 × 0.7 mil)
Tracking force: 2.2 g
Anti-skate: 2.0
Speed: 33⅓ RPM

Capture and processing

Analogue-to-digital transfer
Light normalisation only
No compression, noise reduction, or artificial enhancement applied

The noise floor remains audible and has been deliberately retained.

Digitised from an original vinyl pressing for archival and educational purposes.

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