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The Spirit of Norway

Grieg encounters two musicians who seek to express in music the spirit of Norway. One is a towering figure in Norwegian culture, the other a young upstart. With Donald Macleod.

Donald Macleod looks at Grieg’s associations with two musicians who sought to express the spirit of Norway in their music.

Donald Macleod looks at the people and places that had a significant impact on Edvard Grieg’s life and work, meeting Norwegian fiddlers, folksong collectors and nationalist firebrands along the way. From Henrik Ibsen, who commissioned Grieg to write his most famous work, to the composer's wife Nina, for whom he wrote all his songs, this week Donald explores the key influences on the composer’s outlook and development.

In today's programme, we meet two figures who were influential on Grieg's approaches to nationalism at the beginning of his career - one, the virtuoso violinist Ole Bull, was a towering figure in Norwegian culture, the other, the young firebrand Rikard Nordraak, didn’t live to fulfil his promise, but had a defining impact on Grieg as he was starting out.

Lyric Pieces Book 1: IV Elves’ Dance
Alice Sara Ott, piano

Violin Sonata No 1 in F major: III
Augustin Dumay, violin
Maria João Pires, piano

In Autumn
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Neeme Järvi, conductor

Funeral March for Richard Nordraak (arr for orch by Johan Halvorsen)
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Ole Kristian Ruud, conductor

Ballade
Leif Ove Andsnes, piano

Produced by Megan Jones for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Audio Wales and West

59 minutes

Last on

Tue 16 Apr 2024 16:00

Music Played

  • Edvard Grieg

    Lyric Pieces Book 1 (No 4, Elves' Dance)

    Performer: Alice Sara Ott.
    • Deutsche Grammophon : 4794631.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.
    • 8.
  • Edvard Grieg

    Sonata No 1 in F major for violin and piano, Op 8 (3rd mvt)

    Performer: Augustin Dumay. Performer: Maria João Pires.
    • DEUTSCHE GRAMMOP : 437-525-2.
    • DEUTSCHE GRAMMOP.
    • 3.
  • Edvard Grieg

    In Autumn, Op. 11

    Orchestra: Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Neeme Järvi.
    • DG : 471-300-2.
    • DG.
    • 4.
  • Edvard Grieg

    Funeral March for Richard Nordraak

    Orchestra: Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Ole Kristian Ruud.
    • BIS : SACD-1591.
    • BIS.
    • 11.
  • Edvard Grieg

    Ballade in G minor, Op 24

    Performer: Leif Ove Andsnes.
    • EMI CLASSICS : 394-3992.
    • EMI CLASSICS.
    • 4.

Broadcast

  • Tue 16 Apr 2024 16:00

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