Edvard Grieg
Norway's most famous composer, Edvard Grieg was one of the late Romantics whose music was infused with the folk tradition of his homeland. He dedicated his career to the pursuit of a national sound. The respect he had for his predecessors illustrates the sincerity with which he worked towards this goal. He wrote in the Romantic tradition with, in his own words, the determination to "create a national form of music, which could give the Norwegian people an identity." The clear mountain beauty of a Scandinavian landscape can be felt in the pure modal harmonies and sustained transparent textures combined with the warmth of a Schumannesque melodic sensibility. This is especially true of his hundreds of piano miniatures -- many based on folk dance rhythms -- and his songs.
Grieg was actually of Scottish descent on his father's side, but his family had fully assimilated into Norwegian culture. As a youth Grieg studied the folk tunes of his native country. He left his home in Bergen to study at the conservatory in Leipzig. There he began his formal musical education under the auspices of Ignaz Moscheles (piano) and Carl Reinecke (composition). Despite being diagnosed with a form of tuberculosis, which left him with only one functioning lung, Grieg graduated from the conservatory in 1862. The composer had an intense desire to develop a national style of composition, but recognized the importance of becoming well versed in the work of the European masters, and consequently relocated to Copenhagen, studying with Niels Gade. He was thus able to remain in Scandinavia, while working in a thriving cultural center.
In 1867 against his family's better judgment, Grieg married his cousin Nina Hagerup, a talented pianist, but whose vocal abilities enchanted the composer even more. She inspired many of his 170 songs. Shortly after their wedding, the couple moved to Oslo, where Grieg supported them by teaching piano and conducting. He and his wife traveled extensively throughout Europe and it was during a period of time spent in Denmark, the composer wrote his landmark opus, the Piano Concerto in A minor. The premiere was given in 1869, with Edmund Neupert as the soloist and was received with an enthusiasm that would attach itself to the composer's reputation for the remainder of his career. It rivals Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 in its drama, virtuosity, and popularity.
Grieg admired his literary contemporaries and forged a productive partnership with Björnstjerne Björnson, playwright and poet, with whom he staged performances of such works as Before a Southern Convent, and Bergliot. While Björnson struggled with his output, Grieg met and befriended Henrik Ibsen. The forthcoming collaboration would prove significant for both, as Grieg would supply incidental music to Ibsen's Peer Gynt for an early 1876 production. The premiere was performed to critical acclaim, although the music was not exactly what Ibsen had hoped, and eventually led to Grieg's scoring of Peer Gynt into the popular Suites 1 and 2 (1888 and 1893 respectively) for full orchestra. As a result, Grieg enjoyed tremendous celebrity and continued to travel extensively, often meeting internationally renowned composers such as Tchaikovsky, Brahms, and Liszt, among others. In addition to a grant he was awarded in 1874, Grieg was able to earn the majority of his money by adhering to a vigorous schedule of recital tours and conducting engagements. He served briefly as the music director of the Bergen Symphony Orchestra, and from 1880-1882, held the same position at the Bergen Harmonien. Another popular suite, From Holberg's Time -- for piano or for orchestra -- was composed in 1884 and pays homage to the music of Baroque era.
In 1885, Grieg and his wife relocated once again, this time back to Bergen, where he built their celebrated home, Troldhaugen. The property, a popular tourist destination to this day, features a secondary building overlooking the water, which the composer used as his work area, as he could only work in solitude. Grieg and his wife summered in Norway and departed each fall for European tours that would last the remainder of the year. He was adored wherever he traveled and lived at a pace that would eventually catch up with him. Grieg died of chronic fatigue, with much credit given to his lifelong health problems, in his hometown in 1907.
© David Brensilver /TiVo
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An Evening of Classical: Grieg
Klassiek - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 30 sep. 2022
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Edward Grieg: Sonata For Cello In A Minor, Op. 36 - Johannes Brahms: Cello Sonata No. 2 In F Major, Op. 99
Mstislav Rostropovich, Sviatoslav Richter
Kamermuziek - Released by RHI on 3 aug. 2015
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100 Must-Have Nature Theme Classics
Klassiek - Released by Cobra Entertainment LLC on 18 jun. 2013
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Edvard Grieg - Inspiring Classics
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Favorite Piano Music: Grieg
Klassiek - Released by SAS Music on 15 nov. 2015
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Edvard Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 / Jean Sibelius: Valse Triste; Finlandia / Hugo Alfvén: Swedish Rhapsody No. 1 ("Midsommarvaka")
Philadelphia Orchestra, Hugo Alfven, Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Eugene Ormandy
Klassiek - Released by Music Manager on 25 okt. 2012
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Grieg
Klassiek - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 2 jul. 2021
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Grieg: All Time Greatest Moments
Academy Of St. Christopher Orchestra
Klassiek - Released by Big Eye on 1 jan. 2008
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His Final Recordings (1959-1960)
Opera - Released by Master Classics Records on 1 jan. 2011
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Grieg - Janáček - Kodály
Kamermuziek - Released by Onyx Classics on 16 jun. 2014
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Autumnal Grieg
Klassiek - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 10 okt. 2020
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100 Must-Have Love Song Classics
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Grieg: Classical Creations
Klassiek - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 14 sep. 2022
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Edvard Grieg: Wedding Day in Troldhaugen
Klassiek - Released by Reader's Digest Music on 1 jul. 2007
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Grieg: Piano Concerto in A Minor - Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 - Grande Polonaise Brillante
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Earl Wild
Concertmuziek - Released by Reader's Digest Music on 10 okt. 2013
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Coffee Lounge: Romance
Klassiek - Released by Cobra Entertainment LLC on 16 sep. 2014
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The Classical Greats Series, Vol. 27: Grieg
Klassiek - Released by Global Journey on 19 jun. 2013
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Lyrische Stücke (Buch 1)
Klassiek - Released by soundnotation on 29 jun. 2021
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Victor Merzhanov plays Grieg
Klassiek - Released by Classical Records on 15 okt. 2002
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Edvard Grieg: Complete String Quartets
Kamermuziek - Released by JSC Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga Musica on 1 jan. 1993
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