Program Notes for Virginia Symphony Orchestra Classics #8 - 24-26 ...

the hero Henrik, who is a clever precursor to Beaumarchais’s Figaro.
Few works in the classical repertoire boast the perennial popularity of Edvard Grieg’s
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.16. “This is the quintessential Scandinavian piano concerto, an
absolute masterpiece,” declares Ms. Falletta. “Grieg’s music is beautifully crafted, with all the
brilliance you want from a virtuoso piano concerto, yet it is still all about the music. Every
pianist plays it differently: some lingering on every phrase, others pushing forward. Music this
rich in content allows for a wide variety of interpretations.”
Grieg was born in Norway; however, like most 19 th -century Scandinavian composers, he
pursued his formal musical education in Germany, modeling his early works on those of
Mendelssohn and Schumann. Later, he worked with Niels Gade in Denmark, and the premiere of
his concerto in 1869 took place in Copenhagen. It was a pivotal work. After this concerto, he
realized that his Norwegian heritage must be a central component of his music. A hint of that
realization found its way into the finale. Grieg revised the concerto several times, continuing to
tinker with the orchestration until 1907, the year of his death. He must have realized how
important this work would be to his legacy. Few of his compositions with orchestra appears with
any regularity in the concert hall.
For Grieg was a miniaturist, ill at ease writing in large forms. Generally speaking, his
most successful compositions, such as the incidental music to Peer Gynt, consist of short dances
and other concise movements. That is not the case in this splendid concerto, which has dramatic
sweep and structural integrity along with a profusion of memorable melodies. Grieg’s muse was