The Hall Of The Mountain King

Introduction

Sasha Desideri used Edvard Grieg's "The Hall Of The Mountain King" for her Day Eleven (With Gaps) of 50 Days of Senryu Inspired by Music, and I mentioned how much I loved it as a kid and that it had been covered by the Electric Light Orchestra. In our chat on her piece, which you can check out here:

I said that I might do a playlist of covers, which she thought would be a good idea.

So here it is:

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross from "The Social Network"

An electronic with orchestra piece that definitely maintains the ominous feel of the original and gets louder and louder before it shudders to a wonderful halt.

The Who from "The Who Sell Out"

Although it's not up to the original, this is still an ominous, guitar-led stab at the piece. Although I have the album, I had forgotten about this.

Apollo 100

I love this. It almost gives it a Brechtian feel, but it is still a great interpretation of Edvard Grieg's masterpiece.

Nero and the Gladiators

The first "Oh Dear" version I found (though I am sure there are many, many more. This sounds like something Joe Meek would have rejected, not even any where near B Bumble and The singers "Nutrocker".

Madness (previously unreleased) from "Forever Young - The Ska Collection"

I was a bit apprehensive about this, but it turns out it is a great fun take on the piece.

Hugo Montenegro and his Orchestra

This is quite mad, but excellently executed, like James Last on speed.

The Wombles - "Hall Of The Mountain Womble" from "Keep On Wombling"

Again approached with trepidation, but Mike Batt knows what he's doing. Professional and fun.

David Garrett - "In der Halle des Bergkönigs"

This is OK a fairly straight take.

Electric Light Orchestra from "On The Third Day"

This was the only one that came to mind and it drifts in with a selection from Grig's "Morning" before the drums smash in. It is similar to The Who's version apart from a section when Mik Kaminsky goes all Stefan Grapelli/Django Rheinhardt.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading and listening. I hope you found something to surprise you and enjoy.