Music for Orchestra

Program Note

Grieg’s incidental music for Peer Gynt -a play written by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen- remains some of the most distinctive music for orchestra, and is by far the composer’s most popular work. While the entire score is nearly 90 minutes in length, Grieg later re-orchestrated the music into two popular suites (Opus 46 and Opus 55). The two strings-only scenes contained herein are taken from the first suite. The first movement, La mort d’Åse, is a slow and mournful lament for the eponymous peasant-widow, the second is an Arabic dance by the princess Anitra which succeeds in convincing Peer Gynt to give her all of his newly-found wealth. 

Edvard Grieg was born in Bergen, Norway, on 15 June 1843. He studied at the famed Leipzig Conservatory, concentrating on piano. After starting his career as a concert pianist, his compositions drew the attention of Franz Liszt, who gave him advice on orchestration and became one of his ardent supporters. The Peer Gynt suites remain some of his most popular compositions, and along with his famed Piano Concerto in A minor (opus 16) remain staples of orchestral repertoire to this day. Grieg died on 4 September 1907 after a long illness. Following his wishes, a march he composed for Rikard Nordraak was played at his funeral. His ashes are entombed at a crypt near his house (Troldhaugen), in his hometown of Bergen.

This edition, specifically for string orchestra, is undertaken to give string orchestras a chance to play the two beautiful scenes without having to purchase the full orchestral set.