Grieg, Edvard (1843-1907)

[Lat-Literal]

Irrespective of "The Song of Norway" which I saw back in the mists of time, I like what I know of the music of Grieg very much. However, beyond the few well known works does he really deserve to be regarded as the second most important Scandinavian composer? What is the true breadth of Grieg - and have forum members any great recommendations?

[gurnemanz]

I felt a real affinity with him I hadn't known before when we visited his house at Troldhaugen by the lake near Bergen about ten years ago, before which I only knew his famous stuff. (My wife is short of stature but a photo of her standing next to his statue in the garden shows her to be about an inch taller.) I did not know how horribly he suffered with illness at the end of his life.

Some favourites:
Anne Sofie Von Otter - brilliant song disc
The folk tunes he arranged as Op 72 for piano and Hardanger fiddle. (bought on spec at the souvenir shop at Troldhaugen)
Håkon Austbø - complete piano music on Brilliant Classics

[Lat-Literal]

I felt a real affinity with him I hadn't known before when we visited his house at Troldhaugen by the lake near Bergen about ten years ago, before which I only knew his famous stuff. (My wife is short of stature but a photo of her standing next to his statue in the garden shows her to be about an inch taller.) I did not know how horribly he suffered with illness at the end of his life.

Some favourites:
Anne Sofie Von Otter - brilliant song disc
The folk tunes he arranged as Op 72 for piano and Hardanger fiddle. (bought on spec at the souvenir shop at Troldhaugen)
Håkon Austbø - complete piano music on Brilliant Classics

Thank you very much for those suggestions gurnemanz.

Very much appreciated.

I like the details about his house too.

[rauschwerk]

I like the Slåtter, Op.72, better then any other of his piano pieces. They are tremendously satisfying to bash through. In places the acerbity of the harmony puts one in mind of Bartok. To play some of these pieces idiomatically is quite a challenge. The Springdans has three unequal beats to the bar - not notated by Grieg, but listening to the originals played on the Hardanger fiddle gives the clue. Einar Steen-Nokleberg (Naxos) renders this pretty well.

The four so-called Psalms (really hymns), Op. 74 (Grieg's last pieces) are well worth anyone's attention. If non-Norwegian choirs neglect them, it probably springs partly from a reluctance to sing in Norwegian. Percy Grainger's English translations in the Peters score, however, are somewhat quirky. ("From darkest night, from darkest night, our bodies 'neath the mould, shall then become all shining bright, as bright as purest gold.") In the second piece, a baritone sings a solo in B flat major, accompanied by the choir in the tonic minor. The choral writing here becomes pretty chromatic and quite taxing.

[Serial_Apologist]

I like the Slåtter, Op.72, better then any other of his piano pieces. They are tremendously satisfying to bash through. In places the acerbity of the harmony puts one in mind of Bartok. To play some of these pieces idiomatically is quite a challenge. The Springdans has three unequal beats to the bar - not notated by Grieg, but listening to the originals played on the Hardanger fiddle gives the clue. Einar Steen-Nokleberg (Naxos) renders this pretty well.

The four so-called Psalms (really hymns), Op. 74 (Grieg's last pieces) are well worth anyone's attention. If non-Norwegian choirs neglect them, it probably springs partly from a reluctance to sing in Norwegian. Percy Grainger's English translations in the Peters score, however, are somewhat quirky. ("From darkest night, from darkest night, our bodies 'neath the mould, shall then become all shining bright, as bright as purest gold.") In the second piece, a baritone sings a solo in B flat major, accompanied by the choir in the tonic minor. The choral writing here becomes pretty chromatic and quite taxing.

Apparently Bartok was something of a fan of Grieg - which may seem astonishing when one remembers (?) Debussy's description of his music as "pink bon-bons" was it? - though not sure if it was these pieces. The more chromatic side of Grieg's harmonies found their way into the musics of Delius and Grainger, both of whom knew him. The piano concerto is basically just a succession of nice tunes - would it be deserving to call Grieg essentially a miniaturist?

[Bryn]

Apparently Bartok was something of a fan of Grieg - which may seem astonishing when one remembers (?) Debussy's description of his music as "pink bon-bons" was it? - though not sure if it was these pieces. The more chromatic side of Grieg's harmonies found their way into the musics of Delius and Grainger, both of whom knew him. The piano concerto is basically just a succession of nice tunes - would it be deserving to call Grieg essentially a miniaturist?

Some of the Op. 72 Slåtter might quite easily be mistaken for Bartok.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

...would it be deserving to call Grieg essentially a miniaturist?

That's how I think of him - and in no way meant to be a derogatory assessment: Grieg found the essential scale for his work to communicate itself most effectively, no less than did Bruckner. The attractive lyricism, so perfectly understated that it can be underestimated (the "pink bonbon stuffed with snow" - if you don't listen carefully) is for me so much more effective than some of the more egocentric effusions of some of his contemporaries. It shows me an appreciation of life in its small pleasures - a gentle, humorous, and touching gratitude to be alive.

And then those last works - darker, more aggressive, mysterious, withdrawn. For once, I'm with Bartok rather than Debussy.

[gurnemanz]

Returning to Edvard Grieg. (Incidentally, I do miss this thread's instigator, Lat-Literal). I have started getting to know Grieg beyond the well-known stuff. Having vowed to stop buying CDs, I have just bought two BIS boxes which were well reviewed and are great value:

Complete Orchestral Music Includes complete Peer Gynt, unfinished opera "Olav Trygvason" and orchestral songs.

Complete Songs. Big advantage to have the CD box which contains an excellent 180-page booklet with full printed texts and translations.

I'm looking forward to an interesting Nordic journey.

[LeMartinPecheur]

I have another Complete Songs on Brilliant but apparently this is now only available s/h https://www.amazon.co.uk/Grieg-Compl...ustomerReviews Its downside is no texts & translations but this book helps https://www.amazon.co.uk/Songs-Edvar...s=books&sr=1-2

Don't be put off by the 2* review for the box set: it appears to relate to the Monica Groop box! The Brilliant one has a fair variety of very good (Norwegian?) singers male and female, some of whom do well on other Grieg discs in my collection.

Where I think Grieg is almost unrivalled, in songs and elsewhere, is in his ability to write fantastic memorable tunes. I only have to think of the title of Varen (Spring/ The Last Spring) for it to run in my head for hours. Damn, there it goes again!