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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Grieg & Schubert: Songs
Njål Sparbo, Einar Steen-Nøkleberg
Classical - Released by Quattro on 31 Mar 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg: Piano Concerto, Ballade & Lyric Pieces
Hilda Waldeland, Edvard Grieg, Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Stig Westerberg
Classical - Released by Swedish Society on 1 Jan 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lyric Pieces, Op 47: No.2, Album Leaf
Classical - Released by Pastel Records Canada on 1 Jul 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
String Quartets by Grieg and Brahms
Chamber Music - Released by CDklassisk on 25 Mar 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Edward Grieg
Péter Máté, Guðný Guðmundsdóttir, Edvard Grieg
Classical - Released by Alda Music on 1 Jan 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
El Rey de la Montaña
Guaracha Nation, Edvard Grieg, Alcyone
House - Released by ADS Virales on 26 Jan 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dioses de la Música - Grieg
Classical - Released by Piros Comercial Digital on 24 May 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Retaliate First
Metal - Released by Kill The Music on 10 Apr 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Spring Classical Music
Classical - Released by Hope Records on 23 Mar 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hiking Classical Music
Classical - Released by Classic Records on 20 Mar 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Morning Classical Music
Classical - Released by Music Ware on 8 Apr 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg: Peer Gynt, Suite No. 1
Classical - Released by Piros Comercial Digital on 28 Jun 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg: Lyric Pieces, Op.43 No.4 Little Bird Allegro leggiero in D minor (2024 Remaster)
Classical - Released by Pastel Records Canada on 20 May 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Traum. Piano Works by Mozart, Satie & Grieg
Irene Cantos, Erik Satie, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Edvard Grieg
Classical - Released by Novus Promusica on 23 Apr 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lyric Pieces, Book 1, Op. 12: 5. Folkevise. Con moto (Folk Song)
Classical - To be released on 27 May 2024 by Stereo Arts Classics
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg: Holberg Suite for String Orchestra
Alexander Faris, The Sinfonia of London
Classical - Released by Violet Hill Records on 20 Nov 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16
Walter Goehr, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Grant Johannesen
Concertos - Released by Sunday Club Records on 20 Dec 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16
George Weldon, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Gina Bachauer
Concertos - Released by Violet Hill Records on 20 Dec 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg: Symphonic Dances, Op. 64
Sir John Barbirolli, The Hallé Orchestra
Classical - Released by Sunday Club Records on 2 Dec 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg: Elegiac Melodies, Op. 34
Sir John Barbirolli, The Hallé Orchestra
Classical - Released by Sunday Club Records on 2 Dec 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo