Under Engeset’s direction, the Malmö Symphony plays handsomely and sensitively. String lines are vibrant and expressively shaped; woodwind soloists are by turns suave and piquant; and the brasses make impressive sounds…Inger Dam-Jensen is a lyric soprano with a rich, warm midrange…In Det første møde—described by Engeset as a “nature-idyll”—Dam-Jensen’s upper range floats and occasionally soars…Den Bergtekne is the longest of Grieg’s orchestral songs, according to the conductor; it’s certainly laid out on a symphonic scale, with two horns injecting an ominous note into the sombre string orchestra…The First [Peer Gynt] Suite, in this instance, justifies its inclusion. The precisely attacked opening chord of Morning Mood is breathtaking—especially against the CD’s utterly silent background—bespeaking the conductor’s unwillingness to take anything for granted, though not all the chords rise to that level; the woodwind trills in the closing pages are alert. Åse’s Death flows in a single broad arc, conveying sadness and resignation rather than the tragic weight of bigger-boned performances such as Barbirolli’s (EMI). The lilt and grace of Anitra’s Dance is properly seductive; whether by chance or by design, Engeset underlines the occasional three-bar pizzicato groupings beneath the four-bar melodic phrases. In the Hall of the Mountain King begins crisply, with the pungent tones of bassoon and contrabassoon more strongly felt than usual; the effective buildup eschews the splashy, frenetic energy favored by some.

The Second Suite sounds musical but generic, lacking a similar sense of detailed attention: the Arabian Dance, for example, misses the distinction of Anitra’s Dance. Peer Gynt’s Homecoming becomes quite exciting as the turbulence increases; the brasses play their interjections with sharp rhythmic address, and they register with impressive depth in Naxos’s engineering. Engeset uses the dynamics to shape the transitional woodwind chorale with purpose. The orchestra-only version of Solvejg’s Song is pretty but ordinary—even the finest violin sections don’t always capture, or perhaps understand, the feeling of “vocal” phrasing—but the refrains, which can sound like a throwaway, have a dancey lilt, and the airy woodwind chord that ends each refrain subtly opens the texture.

As indicated, the sound is excellent, and Engeset’s note makes a strong case for the greatness of the Peer Gynt music, if you’re one of the doubters.