Concerto for piano of Grieg

The Concerto for Piano in the minor of Edvard Grieg is only the Concerto that Grieg completed. It is one of its more famous works and one of the greatest concertos of the repertory for piano.

History and influences

The concerto belongs to the early works of Grieg, being composed in 1868 (it is then 25 years old) with Søllerød with the Denmark, lasting one of these stays where Grieg likes to benefit from the hotter climate of this country southernmost than its native Norway. He is written for Piano solo, two Flûte S, two Hautbois, two Clarinette S, two Basson S, four horn S, two trumpet S, three Trombone S, drinking cups, Violon S, alti, Violoncelle S and Contrebasse S. Three movements compose it:

Allegro molto moderato
Adagio
Allegro moderato molto E marcato

The concerto of Grieg is often compared with that of Robert Schumann: it is the same tonality (it minor) and the two introductions start with the brilliance of a descent in agreements of the piano. In a more general way, the style of Grieg is regarded as being close to that of Schumann rather than of any other type-setter. One knows that he heard in particular the Concerto for piano of Schumann interpreted by the woman of the type-setter, Clara, with Leipzig in 1858. Moreover, it is with a friend of the German type-setter, name of Ernst Ferdinand Wenzel, that Grieg learned the piano.

The work of Grieg also shows all the interest of the type-setter for the Norwegian popular music: the opening virtuoso of the piano is based on the reason for the second downward one, followed by a downward third, typical structure of the popular music of the country of Grieg. This particular reason intervenes in other works of Grieg, its String quartet for example. In the last movement of the concerto, similarities with the springar (a Norwegian dance) and imitations of the Violon of Hardanger (the Norwegian popular violin) can be observed.

Grieg itself was a good pianist but work is created by Edmund Neupert the April 3rd 1869 with Copenhagen. Grieg could not attend to with it because of engagements with an orchestra Christiania (current the Oslo). Among those which attended creation were the Danish type-setter Niels Gade and the Russian pianist Anton Rubinstein. The creation of work in Norway takes place with Christiania the August 7th 1869, and the part is heard later in 1872 in Germany and 1874 in England.

The concerto is published for the first time at Leipzig in 1872. Little time before its death, Grieg revised work, removing the suggestion of Franz Liszt to rather give the second topic of the first movement to the trumpets than with the violoncellos.

In 1882-83, Grieg worked on a second concerto, in so minor , but it completed forever. In 1997, the Belgian type-setter Laurent Beeckmans based himself on the existing drafts to carry out his Concerto for piano in so minor according to the fragments of an unfinished concerto of Edvard Grieg, work created in London on May 3rd, 2003.

Anecdotes

The first movement is used in the film Lolita of Adrian Lyne in 1997. In 2004, one heard it in a commercial spot of the mark Nike.

Media

Source

External bonds

Piano Society Recording

Random links: