Grieg Symphonic Dances
Grieg Symphonic Dances Program Notes
In his twenties, a close friend introduced Grieg to the huge Older and Newer Norwegian Mountain Melodies collected by Ludwig Mathais Lindeman. Grieg would spend much of his career crafting these melodies (as well as his own) into a Norwegian national style. In doing so, he would become a central figure of Norwegian culture, even when living in neighboring Denmark, where many of Norway’s most influential cultural figures lived and worked (since Norway was considered quite provincial at the time). In all four Symphonic Dances, the movement’s opening section returns after a contrasting middle section (A-B-A, or ternary form). Grieg’s beautiful melodic sensibility, charming use of woodwind solos, and string writing, make for a sometimes-wistful diversion, with great opportunities for musical expression throughout the orchestra. Born: June 15, 1843, Bergen, Norway Died: September 4, 1907, Bergen, Norway
The Symphonic Dances, Op. 64 are a set of four orchestral dances composed by Edvard Grieg in 1898, based on Norwegian folk melodies. They represent the fullest expression of Grieg’s nationalist musical style in purely orchestral terms.
Grieg composed the dances in 1898, originally for piano four hands, and orchestrated them the same year. They were premiered in Copenhagen on December 12, 1898.
A complete performance of all four dances lasts approximately 22 to 25 minutes.
Listen for the distinctly Norwegian character of the folk melodies — angular rhythms, modal harmonies, and a raw energy quite different from the mainstream German Romantic tradition. The third dance in particular has an irresistible folk dance energy, while the fourth is brilliantly festive.
Grieg composed the Symphonic Dances relatively late in his career, drawing on a lifetime of collecting and studying Norwegian folk music. Despite his international fame, he remained deeply rooted in Norwegian culture throughout his life, maintaining his home at Troldhaugen near Bergen until his death in 1907.
