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Welcome to the general discussion thread for the Grieg Themed Recital, January 2022 edition!

Please use this thread for any discussion of the performances. Feel free to comment on any or all individual pieces. Some members offer comments on each submission individually; others offer general congratulations. Either approach is appropriate.

There are 3 levels of comments requested by performers. Please be sure to check the comment type requested and respect the performer's wishes.

For those who wish to comment on all pieces, a copy and paste template for offering feedback can be found here:
Grieg Themed Recital Response Template

Please use this thread only to discuss recital performances. If you have any comments or suggestions about ways to make the recital process better, please start a separate thread.

Enjoy the recital!

Sam

A happy and healthy New Year to everybody. Thanks, Sam, for letting 2022 begin with this great recital.

01 Sam – Gade 57/2 This is so fantastic in every way and could be a professional recording. Bravo. Perfect. The dialogue is very clear. I like the dynamics you apply. Your piano sounds great and is very well tuned.

02-04 Tim Adrianson – Holberg Suite What a performance! Wow, you have played the complete Holberg Suite. Most people know it only in the orchestral version, but the original composition is for piano, indeed. The form is Baroque but the music is somewhat romanticised and not very “nordic”. The Prelude is impressive, the Gavotte is joyful. The Sarabande is contemplative, the Rigaudon is fast and playful. The Air, although an original composition, is very much in the tradition of Baroque pieces transcribed in the romantic era, like e.g. Siloti’s version of Bach’s Air on the G string.

09 lilypad – Arietta 12/1 Fine. You bring out the melody very well. I liked listening to your interpretation of this small gem. The last 3 melody notes in measures 11, 19 and 21 should be b - d - c instead of a - c - b-flat. IMO, the easiest of the first set of lyric pieces is the National Song (#8), not the Arietta.

10-12 Tim Adrianson – Moods Op 73 This is another set of Grieg’s works I did not know. Wow. The Resignation comes with deep emotion, the Scherzo Impromptu sounds mazurka-like to me. “Night Ride” sounds rather un-Grieg and “early 20th century”. The Folk Melody is much more what I would expect from him, although somewhat impressionistic. As is “Students’ Serenade”. A Männerchor, perhaps, but certainly not in the tradition of students' songs like “Gaudeamus igitur”. The Mountaineer seems to refer to people living in the mountains rather than to people climbing them.

13 winterflower – Peace of the woods 71/4 This is one of Grieg’s last lyric pieces where he begins to get impressionistic. I was surprised how realistic this Grotrian from Pianoteq 7 sounds.

14 KevinM – Waltz 12/2 So, there you are. You can definitely play this piece. The sound of your VST is rather beautiful. Yes, the “B” part is challenging, see what I wrote about it in the description of my submission of this piece.

15 KevinM – Watchman’s Song 12/3 Fine. The septuplets are okay, and the rest of the piece does not cause you any problems, either. Yes, there is the danger of speeding up at certain points while it would be better to have one consistent tempo.

16 cygnusdei – Morgenstemning Bravo! Fantastic. It was a pleasure to listen to your rendition of one of Grieg’s most famous pieces.

17 rwsavory – Notturno 54/4 This is one of Grieg’s very famous pieces, and I like it even better than the March of the Dwarfs. It has such a captivating atmosphere with those high trills. One can hear from your rendition that you have really studied this piece and listened to several recordings by renowned pianists.

18 Greta99 – Popular Song 12/5 Interesting, your rendition is more joyful than I expected, mainly because of the tempo and the last notes of the phrases in the “B” section where you release the pedal. Most of the other recordings I know are slow and melancholy.

19 Greta99 – Album Leaf 12/7 Beautiful. I like the way you bring out the melody in the left hand in the “B” sections. I wonder if the piece would sound even better with more pedal (I have the impression you are playing it without any pedal at all).

20 Greta99 – Solveig’s Song Marvellous and full of emotion. You did this very famous tune justice.

21-23 ElaineAllegro – Norwegian Dances I was not familiar with these dances, thanks for introducing. They are nice, short and easy. As some critical comment, I have the impression a softer and lighter touch of yours could improve your renditions.

24 Saan – Saebygga This is another composition by Grieg I did not know, thanks for introducing. The part where the left hand crosses the right hand is intriguing. Those treble notes could come out a bit clearer.

25 Saan – Arietta Op 12 No 1 This is a lovely little gem, indeed. I like your soft touch towards the end.

26 PWestberg – Peasant’s Song 65/2 You are from Scandinavia, so you must know how to play Grieg. To my ears, this song could be played slightly faster. Not much, just a bit.

27 Rachtoven - Arietta and Waltz Op. 12 Very good, I enjoyed your interpretations very much.

I have very much enjoyed listening to this recital.

01 Sam - Gade. This was a really interesting listen that I enjoyed a lot. Completely new to me.

02-04 Tim Adrianson - Holberg Suite. All very impressive, and I enjoyed especially the Sarabande. The Air is beautiful, I think is played with the right touch and feel.

05 Pianist685 - Waltz Op 12 No 2. So nice to hear this played as it should be, I especially like how you brought out the melody in the B section, something I struggled with. I really enjoyed your interpretation.

06 Pianist685 - Vaegtersang. Just the right tempo, and nice and consistent with good choice of rubato. Once again nice to hear how it should be.

Thanks everyone for participating! Here are my first comments.

02. Tim Adrianson - Praeludium; Gavotte (From Holberg's Time)
03. Tim Adrianson - Sarabande; Rigaudon (From Holberg's Time)
04. Tim Adrianson - Air (From Holberg's Time) I had no idea these existed in a version for piano. I've heard the string version many times, and it's great to hear them on piano. Thanks so much for playing these - wonderful!

05. pianist685 (Constantin) - Vals (Waltz) Op 12 No 2 Excellent dynamics - the soft landings at the ends of some of the phrases were very well done.

06. pianist685 (Constantin) - Vaegtersang (Watchman's Song), Op 12 No 3 Very convincing - I can hear the watchman singing about ghosts in the night - and the wind (or ghosts!) echoing their sone - very nice!

07. pianist685 (Constantin) - Alfedans (Fairy Dance), Op 12 No 4 I like this tempo - I probably couldn't play it this fast. But everything is clear and easy to hear, and I can see fairies dancing.

08. pianist685 (Constantin) - Sommeraften (Summer's Eve), Op 71 No 2 I don't remember hearing this one before - very well done!

09. lilypad - Arietta, Op. 12, No. 1 Very nice - I've played this one too. I think it is probably the easiest one in op 12, but it is not "easy", if you know what I mean. It's very delicate, and you brought that out well. My only suggestion, and it is something I struggle with too, is to quiet down that left hand. Try just going through the movements with the left hand, but no sound. Then gradually let the arm drop until you get notes. That was something a former teacher showed me once - worked for me!

More to come!

Sam

01. Sam S - Gade op. 57-2

Excellent performance. Tempos, rubato, and dynamics were all well judged and executed.

02.-04. & 10.-12. Tim Adrianson - Holberg's Time and Op 73 Moods

Wow. With the Holberg’s Suite and Op 73, you’ve played a whole recital by yourself. Excellent performances all the way around. The feeling with which you played the “Air” and “Resignation” is just phenomenal. “Folk Melody” was also particularly pleasant to listen to.

05.-08; pianist685 (Constantin) - Op 12 Nos 2-4 and Op 71 No 2

Another set of excellent performances. I really enjoyed them, and Sommeraften was particularly beautiful.

Since I also played the Waltz, I’ll ask your views on pedalling. The articulations in the piece, e.g., staccatos and slurs, are inconsistent with using the pedal much at all. And yet, the piece begins with pedal marks. I’ve heard starkly contrasting approaches, and I'm not aware of evidence on what Grieg was going for (not that I'm very knowledgeable about Grieg). I only used the pedal occasionally to maintain legato in certain places. You use the pedal a lot, along with many other performers. Can you shed light on this matter?

09. lilypad - Arietta, Op. 12, No. 1

Very nicely done. I understand why you are happy with this performance.

I wasn’t aware of the pianotv tutorial when I learned the Arietta. Having looked at it, I see some good ideas there. The most helpful video I found was from Graham Fitch.

Mostly, I use the pedal in a way I find appropriate to get the sound I like. I seldom look at the pedal marks in a score, regardless of what piece I am playing. I just have a certain sound in mind that I want to achieve in a less cognitive way, which means I cannot tell you right away what I did.

In my Edition Peters of the waltz, there is only the letters "Ped" at the very beginning of the piece but no indications where to release it. I don't have a clue what Grieg was going for, but I read this as "pedal ad libitum".

After having listened to my recording of this particular piece, I think I pressed down the sustain pedal on every first note of the accompaniment pattern and released it just before or on (but not after) the second. Measure 11 is without pedal, then I held it over the whole measure 12. In measure 17, I pressed it on the first chord again, and released it on the second. In measure 18, I pressed it on the second chord (e major with a fermata). In the "B" part in A major, I think I press it on the first a, then release it on the b, press it down in the next measure on the e, press it anew for the whole next measure, release it in the following measure on the first two notes and press it again on the e. The reverb in my recording enhances the effect.

Final comments.

13. winterflower - Peace of the Woods / Skovstilhed op 71-4

A very peaceful performance. I loved it!

14. KevinM - Lyric Waltz Opus 12 No. 2

I listened to your interpretation with great interest. Your calmer approach gives food for thought (my approach was much spikier). Well done!

15. KevinM - Watchman's Song Opus 12 No. 3

Really nice performance. To me, the tempo sounded natural and everything held together well.

16. cygnusdei - Morgenstemning (Morning Mood), Op. 46 no. 1

Absolutely beautiful performance. I wish I could say more but words don’t do justice. One question: Who transcribed this?

17. rwsavory - Notturno, Op 54 No. 4

Very nice job on an emotionally complex piece.

18.-20. Greta99 - Op. 12 Nos. 5 and 7, Solveig's Song

I enjoyed all of your performances, particularly Solveig's Song, which you played with such sensitivity.

21.-23. ElaineAllegro - Norwegian Dances Op 17, Nos 1, 2, and 23

Nice job on some pleasing dance tunes.

24. Saan - Saebygga (Op. 17 No. 21)

This is an interesting piece and well performed. I particularly like your soft ending.

25. Saan - Lyric Pieces Op. 12 No. 1: Arietta

Nice performance of my favorite lyric piece. Your use of accelerando and decelerando added interest to the performance.

26. P Westberg - Peasant's Song, Op.65 No. 2

A wonderful performance and a beautiful-sounding piano. I greatly enjoyed it.

Great job everyone Thank you for the beautiful performances of such beautiful music. Grieg is a composer that I wasn't very familiar with, and in fact before this recital I had never played any of his music - just goes to show that recitals enrich your life! Thanks for listening to my submission piece, and if you enjoy it, I guess it makes it all worthwhile 😇. Oh and BTW


it's Grieg's own transcription.

14 Lyric waltz op 12 2. Lovely sound and wonderful interpretation. Thoughtful, i feel every note speaks.

Do you have the standard library VSL Boesendorfer VC280 or the full library? You may have the best sounding piano of all recordings in this recital. Vienna Symphonic Library is not cheap.

I think piano is an accompany neutral instrument in essence, and when you try to sketch an orchestra and melody at the same time, you need the most colourful and expressive piano you can get. My very pretentious thoughts as a piano primate.

There have been. Couple of comments about the VST I used. It is the full version of the Bösendorfer VC280 from VSL. It took a bit of work configuring but I have not changed anything for a while.

It remains quite sensitive to play, it can sound harsh quite easily, but I agree that it sounds lovely as long as I can control it. It is the VST I own which requires the greatest sensitivity of touch.

I also regularly use the Bösendorfer Imperial and the Blüthner which I used for 12.3. Each VST is special in its own way but the VC280 I think is the most rewarding but also the hardest work.

10. Tim Adrianson - Moods, Op 73 Resignation; Scherzo Impromptu
11. Tim Adrianson - Moods, Op 73 Night Ride; Folk Melody
12. Tim Adrianson - Moods, Op 73 Study; Students' Serenade; Mountaineer's Song
These are wonderful Tim. I confess that I have never gotten past the Lyric Pieces, so all your contributions are very welcome!

13. winterflower - Peace of the Woods / Skovstilhed op 71-4 Wow, those pauses are very striking. So peaceful and very reminiscent of the Brahms Lullaby in places. Wonderful!

14. KevinM - Lyric Waltz Opus 12 No. 2
15. KevinM - Watchman's Song Opus 12 No. 3
Loved the Waltz - very nice touch on the short chords! The Watchman's Song was great too - very evocative.

16. cygnusdei - Morgenstemning (Morning Mood), Op. 46 no. 1 I have never heard this on piano? I am so used to hearing the flute play that melody. Sounds very difficult in places with those flurries of broken chords. Well done!

17. rwsavory - Notturno, Op 54 No. 4 I have played this one, so I know all the pitfalls. Well done! I had to memorize it, which was my biggest challenge, especially the descending chromatic sections!

18. Greta99 - Popular Melody, Op. 12 No. 5
19. Greta99 - Album Leaf, Op. 12 No. 7
20. Greta99 - Solveig's Song
These are all wonderful! I particularly liked Solvieg's Song - well done!

21. ElaineAllegro - Norwegian Dances Op 17, No 1, Spring Dance
22. ElaineAllegro - Norwegian Dances Op 17, No 2, The Shepherd
23. ElaineAllegro - Norwegian Dances Op 17, No 23, Peasant Song
OK, now I am going to have to go download these so I can read through them - it's all your fault. I know what you mean about pledging to play something - I'm always changing my mind and scaling back my efforts to something more realistic. I love how short these are too - really miniatures. Loved them all!

24. Saan - Saebygga (Op. 17 No. 21)
25. Saan - Lyric Pieces Op. 12 No. 1: Arietta
Both very charming and well done!

26. P Westberg - Peasant's Song, Op.65 No. 2 Loved it!. Very sensitive playing!

27. Rachtoven - Arietta and Waltz Op 12 No. 1 & 2 Cool - a little mini-recital - these two go very well together. Well done!

Thanks everyone for participating and keeping the recitals alive and well - there were some interesting choices of music as well as some things I did not know existed for piano. You learn something new every recital!

Sam

Thank you, Pianist685, for the incisive comment that really helped me focus my practicing on lightening up this week. Thanks, Rachtoven, also. And to Sam S, I am sure you will enjoy learning these Norwegian Dance pieces. Like bonbons, can't stop at one or a half dozen! I've been listening to the recital but not yet commented; am enjoying everything so much. This is a great way to sample a composers' breadth, and a wonderful recital to have on a playlist. I'll be back soon, but overall - I'm just so appreciative and admiring of all the talent shared here!

Great job, everyone! It was a pleasure listening to each and every one.

Oops on those wrong notes. You have a good ear. I must have played them wrong when I started memorizing the piece and since they didn't sound dissonant to me, I didn't recognize them as wrong notes. A rookie mistake on my part. I did considered National Song when I was in the process of choosing one of the easier Grieg pieces, but Arietta sounded nicer to me.


The pianoTV tutorial was mostly about choosing among the easiest Grieg pieces. She has a series where she recommends the easiest pieces by various composers. She did do a tutorial on 'Arietta' and gave a great tip on thinking of the 'hairpins' as a singer taking a breath as they sing. The tutorial that I found most helpful was by Anna Beth Rucker. It's actually a tutorial for teachers on how to teach the piece. I did like the Graham Fitch tutorial and got some good out of that also.



Sam, thank you for the tip! I tried it out and noticed some improvement. It will take some practicing, but I'm sure it will come in handy for lots of future pieces

My teacher called that "ghosting" the notes. I'm pretty sure she got that technique from one of her teachers - so, pass it on...

Sam

Sam, thank you for nominating Grieg's music as one of the 2022 themed recitals. I'm not very familiar with Grieg's piano music and after listening to around a third of the submissions so far, have discovered a whole new world of great music written for piano.

01. Sam S - Gade op. 57-2 I haven't heard a recording the the piece you originally planned for the recital, but Gade was absolutely lovely and I feel lucky to have heard it. I also appreciated your notes about who Gade was. I liked your funny story about the accidental cross hands move. I watched for it on the video and, sure enough, there it was. I don't recall even hearing any break in the flow of the piece. All your recital experience must be paying off in rock steady nerves. Congratulations for getting the No. 1 spot in the recital this time!

02. Tim Adrianson - Praeludium; Gavotte; Sarabande; Rigaudon; Air (From Holberg's Time) I've only ever heard this as a work for orchestra and maybe not even the whole work at that. Grieg's composition of the suite for piano is meltingly beautiful. Thank you for sharing it.

05. pianist685 (Constantin) - Vals (Waltz) Op 12 No 2 The waltz sounded very expressive with a lot of variety packed into a just minute and a half.

06. pianist685 (Constantin) - Vaegtersang (Watchman's Song), Op 12 No 3 Very stately sounding. I liked your interpretation of the 'ghosts in the night' section.

07. pianist685 (Constantin) - Alfedans (Fairy Dance), Op 12 No 4 Fairy Dance sounds just right for bringing out the beauty of the piece. I don't think I would have liked it nearly as well at a faster tempo.

08. pianist685 (Constantin) - Sommeraften (Summer's Eve), Op 71 No 2 Summer's Eve did indeed have a lovely impressionist feel to it. After listening to it and your other three selections, I wonder if your intent was to display the variety to be met with in Grieg's piano music. Whether it was or not, I really enjoyed the variety of your selections.

Thanks Sam for your comments. Thanks also to pianist685 (Constantin) for your comments and your detailed reply on pedaling. I think you use pedaling a bit more than me, but the reverb made me think it was a lot more.

More comments - jumping to the end group this time.

18. Greta99 - Popular Melody, Op. 12 No. 5
[b]19. Greta99 - Album Leaf, Op. 12 No. 7
[b]20. Greta99 - Solveig's Song

Nicely played. I've heard recordings of Solveig's Song, but don't recall ever hearing the other two pieces. Album Leaf was my favorite.


21. ElaineAllegro - Norwegian Dances Op 17, No 1, Spring Dance
[b]22. ElaineAllegro - Norwegian Dances Op 17, No 2, The Shepherd
[b]23. ElaineAllegro - Norwegian Dances Op 17, No 23, Peasant Song

I enjoyed all three of these pieces that are unfamiliar to me. Spring Dance was my favorite.

24. Saan - Saebygga (Op. 17 No. 21)
[b]25. Saan - Lyric Pieces Op. 12 No. 1: Arietta

Wow! Amazing job on those pieces for quick study projects.

26. P Westberg - Peasant's Song, Op.65 No. 2

The piece sounded really nice and based on sound alone, wouldn't seem to be difficult. You looked very relaxed playing the piece in spite of the challenging looking hand movements required by the piece.

27. Rachtoven - Arietta and Waltz Op 12 No. 1 & 2

I really like your flowing and expressive 'Arietta' and lightning fast fingers on the 'Waltz'. You made 'Arietta' sound easy and effortless, which I know it's not (at least for me).

Comments on the middle group still to go.

My last batch of comments -

10. Tim Adrianson - Moods, Op 73 Resignation; Scherzo Impromptu
I always appreciate your 'schtick' for providing the less usually heard music even from a well known composer like Grieg. Scherzo Impromptu was my favorite of these two.

11. Tim Adrianson - Moods, Op 73 Night Ride; Folk Melody
Night Ride is very interesting and invites close listening. The Folk Melody was very pleasant.

12. Tim Adrianson - Moods, Op 73 Study; Students' Serenade; Mountaineer's Song
The Study (Homage to Chopin) was aptly titled. If I'd heard it without knowing anything about it, I'd have attributed the piece to Chopin. The Student's Serenade and Mountaineer's Song were both also good to listen to.

13. winterflower - Peace of the Woods / Skovstilhed op 71-4
Very beautiful. This is another Grieg piece I haven't heard before.

14. KevinM - Lyric Waltz Opus 12 No. 2
15. KevinM - Watchman's Song Opus 12 No. 3
I enjoyed both of these pieces very much. Even with multiple recordings of the same works in a recital, I enjoy hearing the nuances provided by the individual performers, including yours. Great job!

16. cygnusdei - Morgenstemning (Morning Mood), Op. 46 no. 1
I've always enjoyed this familiar Grieg piece, but I've only heard it with flute and orchestra. Your performance of it on piano is just magical.

17. rwsavory - Notturno, Op 54 No. 4
Great job on reprising your study piece. It must have been difficult to learn initially, but you made it very musical.

Thanks for your comment lilypad. I had been playing the Arietta for a year and a half before the recital so I had plenty of time to work on it.