Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Allegro molto moderato; Adagio; Allegro moderato e marcato
Because this is Edvard Grieg’s only large-scale work, it is hardly surprising that he has been both praised and scorned for being a ‘miniaturist’, but the scorn is unmerited. The so-called miniatures such as songs, suites and incidental music are exquisite examples of their genres. Modelled in several respects on Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto, this concerto provides evidence that Grieg could create a monumental work if he wished to.
Having composed the concerto at the age of 25, Grieg knew he had a winner on his hands. He revised it at least seven times over the remaining 39 years of his life, sometimes quite radically. The final version, completed only a few weeks before his death, is the one most often played in concerts today. Its appeal lies in a blend of classical tradition and national colour. Grieg developed an interest in Norwegian folk music around the time of writing the concerto. Like Franz Liszt and Antonin Dvořák, he captured the essence of folk music but very rarely used the original melodies themselves. His identification and absorption of distinctive ‘fingerprints’ in traditional Norwegian song and dance music helped him to forge a style that was individual, Nordic and in some senses, universal. Other composers admired him enormously. ‘What charm, what inimitable and rich musical imagery! … What interest, novelty and independence!’ Peter Tchaikovsky wrote enthusiastically. Liszt remarked on his ‘… strong, creative, inventive and well disciplined talent’ and invited him to his home in Weimar. When they met, Liszt asked Grieg to play his new concerto, but Grieg declined on the grounds that he had not practised it. According to a letter Grieg wrote soon after the event, Liszt was unfazed by his refusal, took the score and played it through at sight with panache and uncanny accuracy, covering the orchestral parts as well, while he was about it.
The work is cast in a traditional mould of three movements: fast; slow; fast. The opening of the concerto is one of the best known in the repertoire with the piano establishing its heroic role at the outset, as it does in Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto, the Emperor. The alternation between muscular assertion and aria-like melody is a particularly appealing characteristic of the work, imitated by later composers, Sergei Rachmaninov in particular. The lyrical slow movement offers beguiling melodies and touches of orchestral colour that help to make the work so memorable. It is linked to the final movement which is rumbustious and busy, becoming more reflective later on.
Grieg was a fine pianist and often filled the solo role himself, travelling extensively every year until a few weeks before his death. When he died in 1907, Norwegians were plunged into deep mourning. There is no doubt that through his music, and through this concerto in particular, he helped to create a national identity and pride that had been virtually absent hitherto. When he was a young man, Norway was regarded as an adjunct to Denmark, and Denmark was culturally in the thrall of Germany. His stamp on Scandinavian music and Nordic music generally was profound and indelible, providing a sturdy foundation for the subsequent triumphs of Nielsen and Sibelius.
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Allegro molto moderato; Adagio; Allegro moderato e marcato
Because this is Edvard Grieg’s only large-scale work, it is hardly surprising that he has been both praised and scorned for being a ‘miniaturist’, but the scorn is unmerited. The so-called miniatures such as songs, suites and incidental music are exquisite examples of their genres. Modelled in several respects on Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto, this concerto provides evidence that Grieg could create a monumental work if he wished to.
Having composed the concerto at the age of 25, Grieg knew he had a winner on his hands. He revised it at least seven times over the remaining 39 years of his life, sometimes quite radically. The final version, completed only a few weeks before his death, is the one most often played in concerts today. Its appeal lies in a blend of classical tradition and national colour. Grieg developed an interest in Norwegian folk music around the time of writing the concerto. Like Franz Liszt and Antonin Dvořák, he captured the essence of folk music but very rarely used the original melodies themselves. His identification and absorption of distinctive ‘fingerprints’ in traditional Norwegian song and dance music helped him to forge a style that was individual, Nordic and in some senses, universal. Other composers admired him enormously. ‘What charm, what inimitable and rich musical imagery! … What interest, novelty and independence!’ Peter Tchaikovsky wrote enthusiastically. Liszt remarked on his ‘… strong, creative, inventive and well disciplined talent’ and invited him to his home in Weimar. When they met, Liszt asked Grieg to play his new concerto, but Grieg declined on the grounds that he had not practised it. According to a letter Grieg wrote soon after the event, Liszt was unfazed by his refusal, took the score and played it through at sight with panache and uncanny accuracy, covering the orchestral parts as well, while he was about it.
The work is cast in a traditional mould of three movements: fast; slow; fast. The opening of the concerto is one of the best known in the repertoire with the piano establishing its heroic role at the outset, as it does in Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto, the Emperor. The alternation between muscular assertion and aria-like melody is a particularly appealing characteristic of the work, imitated by later composers, Sergei Rachmaninov in particular. The lyrical slow movement offers beguiling melodies and touches of orchestral colour that help to make the work so memorable. It is linked to the final movement which is rumbustious and busy, becoming more reflective later on.
Grieg was a fine pianist and often filled the solo role himself, travelling extensively every year until a few weeks before his death. When he died in 1907, Norwegians were plunged into deep mourning. There is no doubt that through his music, and through this concerto in particular, he helped to create a national identity and pride that had been virtually absent hitherto. When he was a young man, Norway was regarded as an adjunct to Denmark, and Denmark was culturally in the thrall of Germany. His stamp on Scandinavian music and Nordic music generally was profound and indelible, providing a sturdy foundation for the subsequent triumphs of Nielsen and Sibelius.