PractisPractis

Peer Gynt Suite No.2, Op.55

Suite · Op. 55

Edvard Grieg 1843–1907
Suite
Form
Op. 55
Catalogue
Score
First page of Peer Gynt Suite No.2, Op.55

Listen

Finding a recording…
Difficulty
Our estimate Intermediate
—No community ratings yet0 votes
Sign in to add your rating.
Themes & character
Ibsen incidental music·Norwegian folk color·Orchestral reduction·Solveig's theme

At a glance

Catalogue
Op. 55
Form
Suite

Movements

1
Ingrid's Lament

Music for the abduction of the bride Ingrid, turbulent and driven.

2
Arabian Dance

An exotic dance scene from Peer Gynt's travels, built on a swaying, syncopated rhythm.

3
Peer Gynt's Homecoming

A stormy depiction of a shipwreck as Peer Gynt finally sails home.

4
Solveig's Song

A tender, folk-tinged melody for Solveig, the woman who waits faithfully for Peer Gynt his whole life, closing the suite in quiet devotion.

About the piece

The second of Grieg's two Peer Gynt suites, published in 1893, drawing on further scenes from his 1875 incidental music for Ibsen's play. Where the first suite leans toward the fantastical, this one follows more of Peer Gynt's own restless journey, from abduction and shipwreck to his eventual return. It closes with Solveig's Song, one of Grieg's most tender melodies, given to the one character in the play who never stops waiting for him.

The composer

Edvard Grieg
Edvard Grieg
1843–1907

Edvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of Norwegian folk music in his own compositions brought the music of Norway to fame, as well as helping to develop a national identity, much as Jean Sibelius did in Finland and Bedřich Smetana in Bohemia.

Comments

Sign in to join the conversation.

Loading…

If you like this

19 Norwegian Folk Tunes, Op.66Edvard Grieg
23 Short Pieces for Piano, EG 104Edvard Grieg
25 Norwegian Folk Songs and Dances, Op.17Edvard Grieg
Song