Edvard Grieg

Born

15 June 1843, Bergen, Norway

Died

4 September 1907, Bergen, Norway

Life

Grieg was born in Bergen on 15 June 1843, and his mother Gesine was his first piano teacher. At 15 he was sent to study at the conservatory in Leipzig.

His Piano Concerto in A minor brought his international breakthrough, and over his whole life he wrote 66 Lyric Pieces for piano. He married his cousin, the singer Nina Hagerup, and they spent their summers at Troldhaugen, their villa outside Bergen, which is now the Grieg museum. He died in Bergen on 4 September 1907.

Why play Grieg

Henrik Ibsen himself asked Grieg to write music for his play Peer Gynt. It took a year and a half, and the music, first performed with the play in Christiania (now Oslo) on 24 February 1876, made Grieg's name known around the world.

Three of its numbers are here: In the Hall of the Mountain King (and its easy version), Åse's Death and Anitra's Dance.

When Grieg lived