This afternoon I enjoyed a wonderful performance of the Peer Gynt Suite numbers 1 and 2 by Edvard Grieg by a highly-talented Russian trio in Oslo. It proved that listening to great music is as good as tasting a superb wine.
Grieg (1843-1907) was born and lived in Bergen and is Norway’s most famous composer. The performance took place in the house he visited when he came to Oslo.
Grieg was friends with Norway’s greatest playwright, Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906), and the pair often met at Underhaugsveien 18, known as Musikklaerernes Hus.
It is a beautiful 18th century house now the home of the Oslo Music Teachers’ Association. It should be preserved as a museum to some of Norway’s artistic greats.
The trio — Marina Kan Selvik on piano, Christopher Tun Andersen on violin and Anton Dymkov on cello — all trained in Moscow and perform together when their schedules allow. They received loud applause from the capacity audience, who demanded encores.
Grieg wrote Peer Gynt to accompany the verse drama of the same name by his friend Henrik Ibsen. The music debuted to acclaim in 1876 when the play was first produced for the stage, and it remains among the most popular of Grieg's compositions.
The next concert at the house is October 8 from 7pm.