Grieg's compositional style was traditional and plain, focusing on harmony, lyricism, and melodic gifts rather than distractions.
Compositional Technique
The Lyric Pieces are infused with Norwegian tunes and folk dances, with descriptive titles pointing to inspirations like Nordic landscapes, gnomes, trolls, and everyday life.
Performer Biography
Vladimir Feltsman was banned from public performance and his recordings suppressed in the Soviet Union for eight years after he applied for an exit visa in 1979.
Composition History
The 59 Lyric Pieces were composed and published in nine installments between 1867 and 1901, providing an ideal structure for Grieg's musical thoughts.
Composer Biography
Edvard Grieg, the composer of these Lyric Pieces, was born in Bergen in 1847 to a British vice-consul and a music teacher.
Performer Biography
Vladimir Feltsman, the pianist on this recording, debuted with the Moscow Philharmonic at age 11 and won the Grand Prix at the Marguerite Long International Piano Competition in Paris in 1971.
Composer Biography
Grieg's mother was his first piano teacher, and he later studied at the Leipzig Conservatory, though he felt he gained little from the experience.
