Grieg: Peer Gynt, Op. 23

Introduction

Peer Gynt, Op. 23 is the incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's 1867 play of the same name, written by the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg in 1875. It premiered along with the play on 24 February 1876 in Christiania (now Oslo).

Later, in 1888 and 1891, Grieg extracted eight movements to make two four-movement suites: Suite No. 1, Op. 46, and Suite No. 2, Op. 55. Some of these movements have received coverage in popular culture; see Grieg's music in popular culture.

Original score, Op. 23

Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) was one of the definitive leaders of Scandinavian music and his influence was great. Although composing many short piano pieces and chamber works, the work Grieg did for Henrik Ibsen stood out. Originally composing 90 minutes of orchestral music for the play, he later went back and extracted certain sections for the suites. Peer Gynt's travels around the world and distant lands are represented by the instruments Grieg chooses to use. The Peer Gynt suites are among his most well-known works, however they initially began as incidental compositions.

When Ibsen asked Grieg to write music for the play in 1874, the latter enthusiastically agreed. However, it was much more difficult for Grieg than he imagined. "Peer Gynt progresses slowly," he wrote to a friend in August 1874, “and there is no possibility of having it finished by autumn. It is a terribly unmanageable subject.”

"The more he saturated his mind with the powerful poem, the more clearly he saw that he was the right man for a work of such witchery and so permeated with the Norwegian spirit," his wife wrote of him and his music.

For many years, the suites were the only parts of the music that were available, as the original score was not published until 1908, one year after Grieg's death, by Johan Halvorsen.

Various recordings have been made of this music. Some recordings that claim to contain the complete incidental music have 33 selections; Both recordings include several verses from the drama, read by actors.

The original score contains 26 movements: Movements indicated in bold were extracted by Grieg into two suites.

• Act I
  • Prelude: At the Wedding (I brudlaupsgarden)
  • Norwegian Bridal Procession in passing (Brudefylgjet dreg forbi)
  • Halling (Halling)
  • Springar (Springdans)
• Act II
  • Prelude: The Abduction of the Bride. Ingrid's Lament (Bruderovet / Ingrids klage)
  • Peer Gynt and the Herd-Girls (Peer Gynt og seterjentene)
  • Peer Gynt and the Woman in Green (Peer Gynt og den grønkledde)
  • Great folk may be known by the mounts... (På ridestellet skal storfolk kjennes)
  • In the Hall of the Mountain King (I Dovregubbens hall)
  • Dance of the Mountain King's Daughter (Dans av Dovregubbens datter)
  • Peer Gynt hunted by the trolls (Peer Gynt jages av troll)
  • Peer Gynt and the Boyg (Peer Gynt og Bøygen)
• Act III
  • The Death of Åse (Åses død)
• Act IV
  • Prelude: Morning Mood (Morgenstemning)
  • The Thief and the Receiver (Tjuven og heilaren)
  • Arabian Dance (Arabisk dans)
  • Anitra's Dance (Anitras dans)
  • Peer Gynt's Serenade (Peer Gynts serenade)
  • Peer Gynt and Anitra (Peer og Anitra)
  • Solveig's Song (Solveigs sang)
  • Peer Gynt at the Statue of Memnon (Peer Gynt ved Memnonstøtten)
• Act V
  • Prelude: Peer Gynt's Homecoming (Peer Gynts heimfart)
  • Shipwreck (Skipsforliset)
  • Solveig sings in the hut (Solveig syngjer i hytta)
  • Night Scene (Nattscene)
  • Whitsun Hymn (Pinsesalme)
  • Solveig's Cradle Song (Solveigs vuggevise)

The complete score of the incidental music includes several songs and choral pieces. The complete score was believed to be lost until the 1980s and has been performed in its entirety only since then. (See the article on Ibsen's play for a list of notable productions, including concert performances of the incidental music.)

It was originally orchestrated for: one piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets in A, two bassoons, four horns in E, two trumpets in E, three trombones, a tuba, timpani, cymbals, bass drum, triangle, harp, and strings.

Suite No. 1, Op. 46

1. Morning Mood (Morgenstemning) (in E major)
2. The Death of Åse (Åses død) (in B minor)
3. Anitra's Dance (Anitras dans) (in A minor)
4. In the Hall of the Mountain King (I Dovregubbens hall) (in B minor)

Suite No. 2, Op. 55

1. The Abduction of the Bride. Ingrid's Lament (Bruderovet. Ingrids klage) (in G minor)
2. Arabian Dance (Arabisk dans) (in C major)
3. Peer Gynt's Homecoming (Stormy Evening on the Sea) (Peer Gynts hjemfart (Stormfull aften på havet)) (in F-sharp minor) – Compared to the one in the Peer Gynt Incidental Music (Op. 23), Grieg added an extra coda that ended this movement with an imperfect cadence in A minor.
4. Solveig's Song (Solveigs sang) (in A minor)

(Originally, the second suite had a fifth number, The Dance of the Mountain King's Daughter, but Grieg withdrew it.)