Klokkeklang in C major, Op. 54 No. 6 Hemmelighet in G major, Op. 57 No. 4 Albumblad in E minor, Op. 12 No. 7 Vals in A minor, Op. 12 No. 2 Bondens sang in A major, Op. 65 No. 2 Gade in A major, Op. 57 No. 2 Skogstillhet in B major, Op. 71 No. 4 Til varen in F sharp major, Op. 43 No. 6 I hjemmet in F sharp major, Op. 43 No. 3 Bekken in B minor, Op. 62 No. 4 Alfedans in E minor, Op. 12 No. 4 Tungsinn in B minor, Op. 65 No. 3 Smatroll in E flat minor, Op. 71 No. 3 Kanon in B flat minor, Op. 38 No. 8 Sommeraften in D flat major, Op. 71 No. 2 Albumblad in F major, Op. 47 No. 2 Melankoli in G minor, Op. 47 No. 5 Svunne dager in D minor, Op. 57 No. 1 Melodi in C major, Op. 38 No. 3 Scherzo in E minor, Op. 54 No. 5 Norsk in D major, Op. 12 No. 6 Gjetergutt in G minor, Op. 54 No. 1 Bryllupsdag pa Troldhaugen in D major, Op. 65 No. 6 Erotikk in F major, Op. 43 No. 5 Notturno in C major, Op. 54 No. 4 Valse mélancolique in G minor, Op. 68 No. 6 Halling in C major, Op. 71 No. 5
If Chopin ‘invented’ the Mazurka, then surely by the same token Grieg ‘invented’ the Lyric Piece. Over his lifetime he published ten volumes of Lyric Pieces, containing sixty-six individual works. Born in Bergen, Grieg studied in Leipzig and became established as Norway’s leading composer, successfully synthesising Norwegian folk music with the forms and conventions of the German tradition. While he was internationally acclaimed for his Piano Concerto and the incidental music to Peer Gynt, the vast majority of his output lies not in large-scale works, but in smaller, more intimate forms, especially songs and, of course, his Lyric Pieces. Peter Donohoe writes: ‘as a teenager I expanded my knowledge of the music of Grieg to include many solo piano pieces as well as the better-known orchestral works.
I was beguiled by his style, and the reason remains somewhat intangible. Although one is able to identify the originality of Grieg as a composer – the Norwegian folk element in his music, his natural gift for memorable melodic lines, his occasional diversions into unique and extraordinarily forwardlooking harmonies, and, to some degree, his emotional naiveté – there is a unique, unidentifiable kernel in his output that defies analysis, as is true of the work of all the great composers... All these works are pristine examples of his diverse and original style – Norwegian with a Germanic flavour – and it has been a huge and satisfying pleasure to return to them to create this and future recordings.’ Recording: Potton Hall, Dunwich, Suffolk; 5 – 7 October 2021. Piano: Steinway Model D Concert Grand Piano (serial no. 592 087).