Edvard Grieg, 1843-1907. Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16. Completed 1868, first performance April 3, 1869, in Copenhagen. Scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tympani, strings, and solo piano.
In 1867, Edvard Grieg finally married his cousin Nina Hagerup over the objections of both his and his fianceé's parents. The rift was soon healed by the birth of a daughter the following April, and in June of 1868 the three Griegs traveled to Denmark. Nina stayed with her family in Copenhagen while Edvard retired to the country to compose, and by the end of the summer he had finished the solo part of his piano concerto and had outlined the orchestration. The work was completed the following winter, after the Griegs had returned to Oslo.
At that time, the Norwegian audience for serious music was limited, and Grieg often had difficulties finding acceptance for his compositions. In later years, he wrote that he and his friends had finally given up trying to perform with ``life and spirit,'' and been reduced to making music only in their own homes. In Copenhagen, by contrast, audiences were enthusiastic about music in general, and Scandinavian music in particular. It is unsurprising, then, that Grieg arranged to have the first performance take place outside his own native land.
The concerto was a resounding success from the start. Grieg was unable to attend due to his commitments with the Oslo orchestra, but the soloist, Edmund Neupert, wrote that ``the three dangerous critics...applauded with all their might,'' and Grieg's friend Benjamin Fedderson informed him that there were ``thunderous chorus[es] of applause'' at numerous instances throughout the work.
Perhaps surprisingly, the work was also well-received in Oslo a few months later. It has since become a favorite with audiences worldwide, and with good reason, for from the unforgettably dramatic opening cadenza to the sweepingly grand final chords, the concerto is filled with invention, originality, and sparkle that cannot help but please the ear.
© 1996, Geoff Kuenning
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