# Opinions on Grieg



## TrazomGangflow (Sep 9, 2011)

I have noticed that Grieg has not been mentioned often in discussions on this forum. What are your opinions on him and how do you think he stacks up against other composers?


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

Grieg isn't a composer that often crosses my mind for whatever reason...I think his pieces are nice, but I don't put him up there with the greatest composers in my mind.


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## HexameronVI (May 9, 2011)

The only thing I've heard by Grieg is his overplayed piano concerto. It's nice, but I don't have it in my music collection.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

I don't pay as much attention to him as his melodic abilities probably deserve. I am pleased however that the Holberg Suite was introduced to me recently. Its an awesome piece for solo piano as well. Grieg seems a very refined and magical composer who composed within certain limitations of form and scope.


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## TrazomGangflow (Sep 9, 2011)

It seems that Grieg slips everyone's mind.  Poor Grieg


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## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

Grieg was a strong influence in my first exposure to the genre and he continues to be among my favorite of all composers. He has an uncanny manner in which to paint pictures with sound that haunts my dreams and subconscious and I absolutely love his approach and his works in general.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

He may well be seen as kind of old hat, an opinion which has been around since his time. Debussy apparently called Grieg's pieces "iced bon-bons."

I like Grieg, but I don't listen to him often, although I don't exactly avoid him either. This year I heard the _Holberg Suite _in concert, and I like this piece, it's like one of the c19th neo-classical pieces. In some ways, the neo-classicism that came in the c20th should really be called neo-neo-classicism, since guys like Grieg, & also Mendelssohn, Gounod, Bizet, Saint-Saens, etc. were doing neo-classicism in the mid to late c19th.

I like Grieg's quote that he wasn't aiming to build vast edifices like cathedrals in sound, as J.S. Bach did, he was aiming to build simple homes for people to dwell in. Grieg's music at it's core and essence is about intimacy, warmth and comfort, it's about these little things that are very human and simple, they are of the human scale, they are not monumental, gigantic or overbearing in any way...


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## HarpsichordConcerto (Jan 1, 2010)

I love his piano concerto, sonatas for violin & piano and solo piano works. The usual.


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

I really like it. Morning Wood is amazing. I mean Morning Mood. In the Hall of the Mountain King is awesome as well. Such relaxing music.


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## Tapkaara (Apr 18, 2006)

When I first got into classical music, a CD of Grieg's Peer Gynt (with some fillers) was on of the first purchases I had made. You see, I was into Sibelius and I figured Nordic composers would appeal to me across the board. I also knew that Grieg was famous and In the hall of the Mountain King was a melody I knew and liked.

I listened to this CD often and rather enjoyed it, though I never really was bowled over by the music. I sort of left Grieg alone after giving that CD a good run and never returned to him, at least not for many years.

I've heard lots of Grieg subsequently, however, on the radio. I knew the Piano Concerto was famous and had heard it on the radio but never really took to it. I decided to buy a disc with the concerto so I could really force myself to enter into its world. Why not? It's probably the most famous Nordic piano concerto of all time and I like Nordic music, generally.

Well, after several attempts, I really do not get it. I find that Grieg is a little bit of a wimp. His music is expressive, though politely so. I feel the same about Dvorak's music, by the way. Yes, little hints of nationalism and folk tunes neatly tucked into a mid-sided orchestra where nothing gets too out of hand. We depart with a pleasant feeling and we are calm and not the slightly bit aroused.

So, due to a rather lukewarm expressiveness in his music, I find little (at this time) to please me by Grieg. I sincerely hope, though, that someday I can come around.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

I strongly recommend the Holberg suite once again. I have the same feeling you do Tapkaara about Grieg's music, but this piece is an exceptional gem I think.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)




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## Lisztian (Oct 10, 2011)

I think he's a terrific composer. Not one of the greats, but terrific. His Piano Concerto is one of the greatest works in the genre, and he wrote a bunch of other good stuff as well.


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## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

Hey, Taapi...give Earl Wild with Rene Leibowitz and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra a whirl sometime...it's on youtube...if you don't like the concerto then,...well, you'll probably never like it at all.


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## Tapkaara (Apr 18, 2006)

kv466 said:


> Hey, Taapi...give Earl Wild with Rene Leibowitz and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra a whirl sometime...it's on youtube...if you don't like the concerto then,...well, you'll probably never like it at all.


The name Rene Leibowitz gets me angry...


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## samurai (Apr 22, 2011)

Tapkaara said:


> The name Rene Leibowitz gets me angry...


Just out of interest, why?


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## Tapkaara (Apr 18, 2006)

samurai said:


> Just out of interest, why?


He, along with Virgil Thompson and Theodor Adorno, were staunchly anti-Sibelius.


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## jalex (Aug 21, 2011)

Very good composer. No-one has mentioned his songs yet, but they are a major part of his output and are often very good too.


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## Taneyev (Jan 19, 2009)

I love Grieg. His 3 violin sonatas, the cello sonata, his 2 quartets, the lyric pieces, the ballade and the concerto for piano. All are beautiful and I love it all. Only piece I really don't like is his piano sonata, I find it superficial and rather silly.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I like his chamber works quite a lot, and he was no slouch at composing lieder either - 'Haugtussa' is a fine cycle. I also like the Lyric Pieces for piano but I've never felt inclined to investigate his piano works beyond those. He didn't compose a vast amount of orchestral work but one seldom-mentioned work I like is the rather dark Bergliot - a powerful piece of Viking melodrama.


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## Taneyev (Jan 19, 2009)

Ther's a recording of his piano Ballade by Godowsky. It's one of the finest interpretations by that mad Lithuanian, and for many the best of the piece.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

I absolutely adore Grieg, he's one of my favourite composers. He certainly has a gift for wonderful melody as clavi hinted, and it's interesting that people should criticise him for having a kind of deliberately limited expression - what I like about him (and Dvorak and others!) is that there is genuine feeling, but it's not bombastic and it's not melodramatic or excessive (hence my dislike for Mahler and crew). It's cosy, introspective, evocative.

People often talk about how music conjures up images of things - nature or landscape or whatever. Personally, I never have this, _except_ with Grieg. He transports me physically as well as emotionally, and I love that.

Favourites: I think his Op. 7 Piano Sonata is a little miracle; his Lyric Pieces are gems; the full version of _Peer Gynt_ and the remnants of _Sigurd Jorsalfar_ are wonderfully dramatic, and of course the Piano Concerto deserves its status. I rather like his Symphony in C as well, but for those who think it's weak, the Symphonic Dances are practically a four-movement symphony, and they're even greater.


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## Taneyev (Jan 19, 2009)

I see that chamber is not on your list of priorities.


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## TrazomGangflow (Sep 9, 2011)

Sid James said:


> He may well be seen as kind of old hat, an opinion which has been around since his time. Debussy apparently called Grieg's pieces "iced bon-bons."
> 
> I like Grieg, but I don't listen to him often, although I don't exactly avoid him either. This year I heard the _Holberg Suite _in concert, and I like this piece, it's like one of the c19th neo-classical pieces. In some ways, the neo-classicism that came in the c20th should really be called neo-neo-classicism, since guys like Grieg, & also Mendelssohn, Gounod, Bizet, Saint-Saens, etc. were doing neo-classicism in the mid to late c19th.
> 
> I like Grieg's quote that he wasn't aiming to build vast edifices like cathedrals in sound, as J.S. Bach did, he was aiming to build simple homes for people to dwell in. Grieg's music at it's core and essence is about intimacy, warmth and comfort, it's about these little things that are very human and simple, they are of the human scale, they are not monumental, gigantic or overbearing in any way...


I agree. The first classical CD I listened to was an all piano CD. I didn't know any of the composers (except for maybe Mozart or Beethoven) but the piece that was my favorite and that I listened to the most was a Grieg piece. Grieg's music does have a comforting quality to it.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

^^Yes, and I think some people tend to devalue intimacy in music, or less gigantic/profound things. They value certain things over others but do not admit their bias. There is nothing wrong with something being easier to listen to than say Wagner or Bach or whoever, as long as it is of good quality and is imaginative, rewarding, engaging, stimulating, etc. for the listener. & Grieg's music makes the grade with these things and more, definitely...


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## kiek (Sep 17, 2011)

I like Grieg. His melodies are not out of the ordinary, but the way he delivers them is... The mystical, nationalistic undertone is present. 
He is fun to play on piano, from what piano works I've seen. I also like his cadences.


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## samurai (Apr 22, 2011)

Tapkaara said:


> He, along with Virgil Thompson and Theodor Adorno, were staunchly anti-Sibelius.


Tap, I didn't know that. As somebody who has really "been getting into" Sibelius and Nielsen of late, and in a big way, I am sorry to learn from you that these artists felt that way. Thanks for the 411 on this.


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## Tapkaara (Apr 18, 2006)

samurai said:


> Tap, I didn't know that. As somebody who has really "been getting into" Sibelius and Nielsen of late, and in a big way, I am sorry to learn from you that these artists felt that way. Thanks for the 411 on this.


They way these three singled Sibelius out was quite remarkable. Google any of their names with Sibelius and you'll see a wide array of vitriol. But we Sibelians have the last laugh for sure...the name Sibelius easily towers over any of their names.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

^^If I avoided certain composers for what they said, I would probably listen to not much at all. None of them were saints. The artistic/creative field is a very bitchy area. I am more interested in what they DID, eg. their music or music making. Eg. my dislike of certain musicians or composers etc. is more based on their music than their ideology, religion, politics, etc. Sometimes it's hard to separate these things from the final product - the music - but overall, I think I can. Pity some people can't, or at least can't admit their bias, with certain composers/musicians, whether they be Grieg or Andre Rieu, if you don't make big profound statements you're obviously thought of as bottom-feeder material, or virtually. Anyway, I put them together, those totally different musicians, to just say that some people can't admit their bias, or think clearly, plus many other things...


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## Dustin (Mar 30, 2012)

I've been getting on a bit of a Grieg kick lately. I definitely have a high opinion of his music. His melodies are very nationalistic and unique to me, kinda like Dvorak(which is a good thing for me) I have the highest regards for his three violin sonatas, they're masterpieces in my mind. And i've just discovered that he has quite a bit of solo piano music as well as some great lieder. Can't wait to explore it all!


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Tapkaara said:


> But we Sibelians have the last laugh for sure...the name Sibelius easily towers over any of their names.


Opinions vary!

"If Sibelius is good, then the musical criteria that have been applied from Bach to Schoenberg (…) are invalid." --Theodor Adorno 1938

"Sibelius, the worst composer in the world" --René Leibowitz 1955

"Sibelius is so concentrated and exact. With Sibelius you feel that if one drop touches your skin it would burn right through the bone." --Simon Rattle 1998

Well, as the PR people say, there's no bad publicity. Just spell the name right! :lol:


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

KenOC said:


> "Sibelius is so concentrated and exact. With Sibelius you feel that if one drop touches your skin it would burn right through the bone." --Simon Rattle 1998


I'm not sure this is intended as a criticism....

Anyway, Adorno is mostly remembered either for his theories on how popular culture is a corrupting and mollifying force in capitalist societies or for his related critique of Jazz, rather than for his music (yes, he composed imitation Berg) or his writings on classical music (he did do some interesting early writing on Mahler that's worth remembering, even if I often disagree with his take on things).

Leibowitz is remembered as a conductor, not a critic.

Given how much music Simon Rattle has composed, it looks like the only one of them who will continue to be remembered for their music is Sibelius.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

I think Rattle's comment is a compliment. Again, opinions vary!


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## Stargazer (Nov 9, 2011)

His songs are top-notch in my opinion and among some of my favorites in the genre, but other than that not much of his stuff really stands out for me. Yeah it's really good, but nothing that I really rush to listen to.


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

Grieg is one of my favorite composers, mainly for the incredible diversity of moods in his music. People slag on him because he hired outside orchestrators at first, but the second Peer Gynt suite, which he arranged himself is wonderful. Much better than the first that he jobbed out the orchestration on.


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

By the way, Grieg depends a LOT on the performer to bring out the atmosphere in the music. I recently discovered BIS's spectacular Grieg recordings, both orchestral and solo piano, through the $2 Rise of the Masters MP3 set at Amazon. I've never heard better. If Grieg hasn't wowed you in the past, you should gamble two bucks on this...

http://www.amazon.com/Grieg-Supreme-Classical-Masterpieces-Masters/dp/B005VZOZJ6/


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

Bigshot: That's a fantastic set!! I have it too. 

I like Grieg a lot.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Edvard Grieg
June 15, 1843 ~ September 4, 1907


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

TrazomGangflow said:


> I have noticed that Grieg has not been mentioned often in discussions on this forum. What are your opinions on him and how do you think he stacks up against other composers?


I like Grieg, but he's not one of my favorite composers as he tends to work with compact, short forms and they are not my preference. My favorite composition by him is still the _Peer Gynt_ incidental music, complete (not only the suites), and overplayed or not, popular or not, I think that the _Morning Mood_ for example is great music. I wish it lasted longer.


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

I have no strong feelings about Grieg either way - generally I find his music very pleasant but rarely revelatory. Don’t much care for the piano concerto except in that bonkers live Michelangeli recording, but I enjoy his orchestral music - Norwegian and Symphonic Dances - the lyric pieces, the cello sonata, and the Holberg suite.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Grieg isn't high on my list. I do like the piano concerto, some of the chamber music, and a smattering of his songs. Unfortunately, neither the Holberg Suite nor any of his Lyric Pieces are appealing. However, we keep listening and hoping for a lightbulb to go on.


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

Nowadays I get more out of exploring lesser known corners of his output than I do from the better known works. I've liked his symphony ever since I bought the first LP of it (Bergen Symphony/Andrew Litton) shortly after its "discovery". His piano sonata's another piece I enjoy, the slow movement especially.


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## BenG (Aug 28, 2018)

I share the same view as most people here that Grieg isn't one of my favourites, but I enjoy his music. HOWEVER I LOVE his G minor string quartet. The first movement has great force and strength. His fugue for f minor string quartet is great too.


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## Brahmsian Colors (Sep 16, 2016)

Favorite Grieg... very tuneful, especially my first four listings. I find The Last Spring wonderfully cathartic.

The Last Spring (Elegiac Melody No. 2)
Holberg Suite
Wedding Day At Troldhaugen (orchestral version)
Peer Gynt
Sigurd Josalfar
Norwegian Dances
Lyric Pieces (piano)


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## pianoedvard_b93 (4 mo ago)

Grieg is my no.1 romantic era composer. I REALLY wish he had written more piano concertos. It bothers me greatly that he only did freaking one when that one turned out to be one of the greatest piano concertos of all time.
I feel like Grieg is seriously underappreciated and getting a lot of undeserved criticism that simply boils down to him not being a (strictly figuratively speaking) posh, tea sipping, monocle and top hat wearing, "Myees!" saying, desperately "high-class" composer.
Much of his repertoire is deceivingly simple. I say "deceivingly" because just because it sounds more "simple" does in no way what so ever mean that it is more simple.
I have a strong feeling that many "classical music lovers" are pretentious in the same way a lot of jazz lovers are. I have been composing and playing classical music my whole life, now composing professionally, and i have studied jazz piano at one jazz specific school. I encountered the same **** at the jazz school i studied at, and over there it basically boiled down to "the more ******** notes you fling into you solo or piece the better, does not matter if it makes any sense musically, its even better if it doesn't", "the less sense your chord progression gives, the better." and "if you like something that is remotely pleasant or easy to listen to you have a subpar musical ear".
Now, i have gotten further in my musical career than any of those guys, and i know that many of them have luckily grown out of that ******** view on music.
When it comes to many classical music nuts i feel almost the same way, that it is "If your piece does not last for an hour or more it is subpar." or (in contemporary music) "If your piece does not include all kinds of rarely used playing techniques it is unimaginative."
Guys like this have a severely skewed and INCREDDIBLY pretentious view on music in my opinion.


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## Highwayman (Jul 16, 2018)

Grieg!? What even is he? A lousy troubadour pretending to be a composer of the finer arts?! His pieces are mildly amusing, at best. Certainly no inventor of great musical architecture that challenges the mind, rather dull, if I might be so bold...


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## pianoedvard_b93 (4 mo ago)

Highwayman said:


> Grieg!? What even is he? A lousy troubadour pretending to be a composer of the finer arts?! His pieces are mildly amusing, at best. Certainly no inventor of great musical architecture that challenges the mind, rather dull, if I might be so bold...


Hahahaha!!! OMG I haven't laughed this good in a long while!
Good sir, i thank you for extending my life expectancy by at least a year.


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

As Grieg is incredibly popular the pretentious snobs underappreciating Grieg apparently have had little influence in the actual music world... So this looks like a straw man.


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## EvaBaron (Jan 3, 2022)

I have only heard the piano concerto which is one of my favourite piano concertos, the first peer gynt suite and the holberg suite. The last 2 I know because we played them with our youth orchestra and playing and listening to them feels like home. Right now I’m exploring orchestral music more so eventually I’ll be getting to his solo piano and lieder and I’m sure they’re great!


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

One of my extended favourites (whenever I make a ranked list of favourite composers he usually comes in around #20).

Top favourite in his oeuvre would be the Holberg Suite (orchestral version), but I also love (among others) the piano concerto, the Peer Gynt suites, Two Elegiac Melodies, the orchestral dances, the Lyric Pieces, the songs (especially the cycle Haugtussa), violin sonatas and cello sonata.


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

Listening to him now. Imo, his Lyric Pieces are the best part of his works. But Peer Gynt Suite, Holberg Suite, and Piano Concerto are also great. He reminds me of Dvorak.


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

Debussy called Grieg's works "pink bonbons stuffed with snow". Whether that makes him a pretentious snob, I'll leave others to judge. For me his music is enjoyable but not essential.


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

Animal the Drummer said:


> Debussy called Grieg's works "pink bonbons stuffed with snow". Whether that makes him a pretentious snob, I'll leave others to judge. For me his music is enjoyable but not essential.


What one person considers essential may not be essential to someone else. But Grieg, Chopin, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, and Sibelius are definitely essential to me. While some Composers that others consider essential are not essential to me.


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

When young the slow movement of the Piano Concerto really got to me and was one of my first loves. I've always liked Grieg and learnt some of his piano pieces, including the concerto but like @Animal the Drummer above, he's not a regular for my listening. No denying he's a good composer though.


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

Animal the Drummer said:


> Debussy called Grieg's works "pink bonbons stuffed with snow". Whether that makes him a pretentious snob, I'll leave others to judge.


I never quite understood that remark.. Is it kind of damning with faint praise? Is the snow filling an unpleasant surprise or a hint at particular originality?
Grieg is very good at what he does but it's mostly lyric or picturesque miniatures (either piano or as in the Peer Gynt suite etc.). The piano concerto is probably the piece where I have acquired a dozen or so recordings without ever buying any on purpose, all for couplings or in collector's boxes... His chamber music is a bit underrated (although mainly compared to his absurdly popular "hits", not compared to e.g. Saint-Saens' chamber music) but not essential either.


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

Kreisler jr said:


> I never quite understood that remark.. Is it kind of damning with faint praise? Is the snow filling an unpleasant surprise or a hint at particular originality?
> Grieg is very good at what he does but it's mostly lyric or picturesque miniatures (either piano or as in the Peer Gynt suite etc.). The piano concerto is probably the piece where I have acquired a dozen or so recordings without ever buying any on purpose, all for couplings or in collector's boxes... His chamber music is a bit underrated (although mainly compared to his absurdly popular "hits", not compared to e.g. Saint-Saens' chamber music) but not essential either.


I think it means it is too pretty sounding. Not enough dissonance. Which the modernists frowned upon pretty music. At least that was my interpretation. Debussy occasionally sounds like Grieg himself. So not sure why he would diss someone with a similar style.


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

neoshredder said:


> I think it means it is too pretty sounding. Not enough dissonance. Which the modernists frowned upon pretty music. At least that was my interpretation. Debussy occasionally sounds like Grieg himself. So not sure why he would diss someone with a similar style.


....composers can be very very bitchy you know.


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## RobertJTh (Sep 19, 2021)

I don't think it was a compliment either, not even a hidden one.
Debussy famously walked out of a performance of Mahker's 3rd symphony during the 2nd movement, which he said "sounded like Grieg". (He liked the first movement though). Needless to say, Mahler wasn't pleased.


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## fbjim (Mar 8, 2021)

Animal the Drummer said:


> Debussy called Grieg's works "pink bonbons stuffed with snow". Whether that makes him a pretentious snob, I'll leave others to judge. For me his music is enjoyable but not essential.


I think the national pastime for French composers was trashing the work of other French composers.


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

Overall, he's not a personal favorite, but I still quite enjoy his music. His _Peer Gynt_ is probably my best-loved piece in the incidental music genre that is not a movie or videogame orchestral soundtrack.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

The Symphonic Dances have only been mentioned once. They are, as Pianoedvard said, deceivingly simple.

If I may quote John Horton, "These display his strongest resources: his facility in continuously harmonizing and reharmonizing a simple diatonic phrase which, in folk music, is repeated incessantly, giving it a kaleidoscopic background." They are not developed symphonically but as free fantasias. 

The first and second dances are hailing dances, with the beginning casually, then building in intensity. The second has an absolutely charming melody.

The third is a spring dance, featuring chords in what Horton calls the French taste. 

The fourth is a mountain ballad in a bleak a minor, the most symphonic of the four, with a Sibelian feel, featuring a constant shifting of tempo.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Michael Finnissy on Grieg here

Composer Michael Finnissy in conversation with SCO Music Director Lorenzo Marasso - YouTube


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Mandryka said:


> Michael Finnissy on Grieg here
> 
> Composer Michael Finnissy in conversation with SCO Music Director Lorenzo Marasso - YouTube


I noticed that he also likes Grieg's harmonizing of folk music.

I hope his CD bookcases are bolted down. I'd hate to have those things come crashing down on me.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Manxfeeder said:


> I noticed that he also likes Grieg's harmonizing of folk music.


In fact Grieg's harmonies are what kills the piano miniatures for me, even the later transcriptions which Finnissy mentions. Perfectly agreeable and well made music, but it's a bit like a box a chocolates. I can eat one, I can even eat two, but then I start to feel slightly sick.

The bigger pieces are a bit better maybe, especially this -- even here I find it quite hard to get to the last variation. 

Eileen Joyce Grieg Ballade Op.24 - YouTube


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## haziz (Sep 15, 2017)

A superb composer and one of my absolute favorites. I do wish he was a little more prolific, but I am grateful for what he did compose and appreciate both his larger works (Piano Concerto, Incidental Music to Peer Gynt) and his miniatures (e.g. the Lyric Pieces).


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## Terrapin (Apr 15, 2011)

I love the Piano Concerto and Peer Gynt Suites. I also like From Holberg's Time and String Quartet, Op 27. I have listened to only about a dozen of his works but, other than the four mentioned, they haven't made an impression on me. I should explore more of his music, although I generally don't care for miniatures.


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

There are three violin sonatas and a 'cello sonata that are pretty good, maybe not quite as original and convincing as the concerto and quartet but worth checking out; there is even a fragmentary second quartet that has been completed by other musicians. The piano sonata is a minor early work that is not in the league of the ballade or the better lyric pieces/miniatures.

Grieg seems to me one of the composers who is overrated and underrated at the same time. The piano concerto is IMO absurdly overrated for a structurally loose piece that mostly relies on flashy fireworks and folk tunes and that is also highly indebted to Schumann's "model" but the chamber music is a bit underrated and maybe even the piano pieces and lieder that are not unknown but mostly niche, except for a few pieces.


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## Chat Noir (4 mo ago)

Marvellous composer. Tastes will differ. I've derived great pleasure from playing Lyric Pieces on the piano, an instrument he wrote for exceptionally well. You can tell when a composer is a pianist. I haven't listened to Grieg's music for quite a while, so I think I'll go back and sift through it.


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## Waehnen (Oct 31, 2021)

I do not have an opinion on Grieg. Everything I have heard from him so far has been good and well crafted. I think I am going to listen to his String Quartet next. I remember quite liking it.


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

I recently heard Grieg's piano concerto on the radio while driving. I couldn't identify it at first. Then I thought it was Tchaikovsky. Then I thought it might be Liszt. At the end the announcer astounded me saying it was the Grieg concerto. I think that probably exemplifies the Grieg "problem" for me: he is too much like too many others and not enough like anything too individual ... though I like some of his Nordic traditions in music. But not enough to buy or own anything.


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## Scherzi Cat (8 mo ago)

The Peer Gynt Suites are very enjoyable. They include the well-known "Morning Mood" and "In the Hall of the Mountain King". The Piano Concerto, of course, is amazing. And I really like the Holberg Suite. His Lyric Pieces for piano and quite popular, but I have not yet latched onto them. All in all I would say Grieg is in my top 40 composers.


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## Chat Noir (4 mo ago)

Scherzi Cat said:


> All in all I would say Grieg is in my top 40 composers.


At what number though? 40? Or has he climbed higher up the charts?


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## Scherzi Cat (8 mo ago)

Chat Noir said:


> At what number though? 40? Or has he climbed higher up the charts?


Bottom ten of the top 40.


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

Grieg is pretty important in Norway! We're proud of him  I think he was a pioneer in harmonic language and an influence on trve Norwegian black metal 😈


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## Chat Noir (4 mo ago)

Kjetil Heggelund said:


> Grieg is pretty important in Norway! We're proud of him  I think he was a pioneer in harmonic language and an influence on trve Norwegian black metal 😈


I arranged the waltz from book I of _Lyriske stykker _for string quartet. The people who played it said it sounded 'mechanical'. Cheeky devils. I blame myself of course and not Grieg; though I thought it was quite nifty shifting the melody to the cello on the tenor clef, for the 16-bar middle bit in A major. Clearly they disagreed.


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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

A great Greek composer and philosopher, who had a large hand in discovering the theory of relativity. He wrote numerous cherished works such as _The Nutcracker_ and _The Imperial March_. He also, however, was a bit of a dick with his friends.

Grieg, who was generally well-liked, often bragged about his intelligence, becoming a self-proclaimed "smarter person than most." This braggadocio was not without reason. He was the first person to publish a proof-of-concept for the COIN theorem, which predicted the Byzantine Generals problem in a series of computer simulations. Grieg was also known to be anti-social and "get into fights" with co-workers, and may have suffered from Asperger's syndrome. He was fired from Google for his behavior, and his relations with employees at his other employers, Apple and Signal, were tense.

In actuality, Grieg was fired from Signal's office for taking on a "day job" at Google. He left Signal under amicable terms, although he was not happy with the company's decision to deal with the situation in a public manner. Despite his lack of social skills, Grieg's works were not without social merit. He was outspoken about the role of music in society, and the value of classical music in general.

Grieg was also the victim of a fraudster, Olav Solberg, who tricked him into believing he was the author of a popular ebook on martial arts. In reality, Solberg was a serial kidnapper and con artist who had pretended to be a successful author, and had actually written a novel called The Ultimate Fighter whose "author" was a difficult-to-track-down internet user.

He was also the subject of another con, in which Jurgen Diesel, a man who convinced himself he was the author of The Holy Quran, pretended to be a famous writer and asked Grieg for exclusive rights to his music. Grieg eventually returned as head of the Swedish Music Academy, and soon died in his sleep in 1934 and was buried in Stockholm.


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## Chat Noir (4 mo ago)

Well there we are. I knew there was something shady hiding behind that avuncular moustache.


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## haziz (Sep 15, 2017)

Scherzi Cat said:


> Bottom ten of the top 40.



He is number 4 for me (after Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Dvorak).


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

_At what number though? 40? Or has he climbed higher up the charts? Bottom ten of the top 40._

He came in No. 43 in my survey tied with Weber and Copland.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

For me Grieg is not that important. I like a few of his pieces and am not aware of any I hate. I wouldn't really care, though, if I had never heard any of his music. I don't really think in terms of ranks but if I did I do not think he would make my top 100 favourite composers: there must be more than 30 from the pre-Baroque period alone that I get more from and there are certainly a great many Romantic composers who rate far more highly for me. I do get, though, that he had a gift and did what he did well. It's just that I am not taken with the type of things he mostly attempted.


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## Chat Noir (4 mo ago)

It might be youth sentiment for me. Does anyone remember when infant schools did something called 'movement'? Where you dressed in your gym kit and had to do preposterous things such as acting like a tree growing. Well there was an old man in a suit who appeared from no-where, who accompanied us on the piano while we did this and he played In The Hall Of The Mountain King. At that point we were supposed to be trapped on a gale-force wind of something.


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## RobertJTh (Sep 19, 2021)

Chat Noir said:


> It might be youth sentiment for me. Does anyone remember when infant schools did something called 'movement'? Where you dressed in your gym kit and had to do preposterous things such as acting like a tree growing. Well there was an old man in a suit who appeared from no-where, who accompanied us on the piano while we did this and he played In The Hall Of The Mountain King. At that point we were supposed to be trapped on a gale-force wind of something.


Thanks for reminding me. I still have nightmares of when I had to dance like a skeleton to Saint-Saens' Dance Macabre.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)




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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

This passage is a true Classical earworm. It's reminiscent of Debussy at his melodic best.


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