Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 (Op. 46)
Composed: 1875
Duration: 16.35 mins. (approx.)
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) was a Norwegian composer. Along with Sibelius from
Finland he presented the austere beauty of the Scandinavian countries. Together they worked for a distinctive Nordic
sound and ethos.
Peer Gynt is based on Ibsen’s play by the same name. Ibsen - a Norwegian playwright - had written it as a 5-act play in poetry about the coming of age of a peasant boy named Peer Gynt. The movements by Grieg, however, are not in the sequence of the play. The first movement ‘Morning’ is from Act IV of the play and is set in North Africa. The second movement is from Act III and is about the impending death of Peer Gynt’s mother. The third movement is about the seduction of Peer Gynt. The last movement is from Act II of the play in which Peer Gynt encounters the hostile court of the troll king. Peer Gynt has also been set to opera.
Aired on AIR FM Goa on Friday, 5th Feb 2021
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