Holberg Variations: Christian Ihle Hadland, piano, 1B1/Jan Bjøranger, Erlend Skomsvoll, piano

Grieg's Holberg Suite in triplicate – seriously! Two of the versions are Grieg's own mid-19th-century reshapings of the baroque, his original for piano and the orchestration for strings. The third stems from jazz musician Erlend Skomsvoll's residency at the Bjergsted Park in Stavanger (home to the city's music school and old concert hall), during which he wanted to interpret classical music on his own terms with a classical orchestra. Violinist Jan Bjøranger, leader of 1B1, said yes. Skomsvoll's "recomprimprovariations" are not as radical as what Gérard Pesson and Michael Gordon have done to Bruckner and Beethoven. It's more like a reconstruction in which missing sections have been replaced in a modern style. My vote goes to Grieg's own orchestration. simax.no