In honor of Edvard Grieg’s birthday (June 15, 1843- September 4, 1907), I performed some of his lyric pieces with Dr. Craig Jurgensen. Dr. Jurgensen has been championing works of Grieg for much of his life. He fostered a love of Grieg’s music as he continued to hone his piano skills into college.
Just as Grieg envisioned, we strove to create an intimate performance setting in a house concert. These pieces from Op. 43 and Op. 62 emphasize Grieg’s love for his homeland, nature, and dance. To conclude the program, Dr. Jurgensen and I had been collaborating on a four hands arrangement of “Morning Mood” from Peer Gynt. We were so pleased by the warm reception from the audience in attendance and especially their genuine interest in learning more about this great Norwegian composer!
