Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) Episode 4 of 5: Several Peers Gynt First broadcast: Thursday 15 May 2014
Donald Macleod introduces a series of contrasting musical takes on Peer Gynt - from the lyrical to the industrial.
Grieg's gift for the fleeting, artful and utterly delightful musical miniature means that he's one of the most rearranged and reimagined composers in history. Instrumentalists of every shade down the years - from trombonists to accordionists, brass bands to hard rock collectives - have sought to cast Grieg's music in their own image. This week, Donald Macleod dips his toe into the vast array of arrangements of Edvard Grieg's music - introducing a selection of brilliant, often unorthodox musical creations - whilst taking us through five key works spanning the composer's career.
Amongst the myriad reworkings of Grieg's music, one piece stands out as offender-in-chief. Grieg's own reworking of his music to Ibsen's play "Peer Gynt" into two orchestral suites ensured his fame and fortune - and a multitude of arrangements, even in his own lifetime. But more than this, and faintly surreally, one famous number, "In The Hall Of The Mountain King" has more recently found a devoted following that Grieg could have never have imagined ... amongst devotees of hard rock and heavy metal. Donald Macleod explores the circumstances of Peer Gynt's composition - as well as the bizarre array of arrangements that followed.
00:01 Edvard Grieg Peer Gynt - suite no. 1 Op.46 - Morning Mood Orchestra: New York Philharmonic. Conductor: Leonard Bernstein. CBS : MYK-42543, CBS, 1
00:06 Edvard Grieg Peer Gynt - suite no. 1 Op.46 - The Death Of Aase Performer: Mie Miki. BIS : CD-1629, BIS, 1
00:11 Edvard Grieg Peer Gynt - suite no. 1 Op.46 - Anitra’s Dance Performer: Regina Carter. VERVE 622602, VERVE, 1
00:16 Edvard Grieg Sonata no. 3 in C minor Op.45 for violin and piano - Allegretto Espressivo Alla Romanza; Allegro Animato Performer: Fritz Kreisler. Performer: Sergey Vasilievich Rachmaninov. RCA : 09026-61826 2, RCA, 11-15
00:27 Edvard Grieg 6 Songs Op.48 - Extracts Performer: Roger Vignoles. Singer: Miah Persson.
00:37 Edvard Grieg Peer Gynt - suite no. 2 Op.55 Orchestra: New York Philharmonic. Conductor: Leonard Bernstein. SONY : SMK-47549, SONY, 5-7
00:57 Edvard Grieg Peer Gynt - suite no. 1 Op.46 - In The Hall Of The Mountain King Performer: Trent Reznor. Performer: Atticus Ross. NULL01, 12