![Edvard Grieg - Album for Mandssang, op. 30 [With score] @DamonJHK](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9SYBtGxTlq0/maxresdefault.jpg)
Uploaded August 2020 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
-Composer: Edvard Hagerup Grieg (15 June 1843 – 4 September 1907)
-Performers: Grex Vocalis
Album for Mandssang {12 Norwegian Folksong arrangements for soli and male choir}, op. 30, written in 1877-78
00:00 - I. Jeg lagde mig så sildig {I lay down so late}
01:38 - II. Bådn-låt {Children's song}
03:36 - III. Torø liti {Little Toro}
06:05 - IV. Kvålins halling
09:47 - V. Dae ae den største dårleheit {It is the greatest folly}
11:46 - VI. Springdans {Spring dance: When I go out in the evening}
13:05 - VII. Han Ole {Young Ole}
15:32 - VIII. Halling
16:36 - IX. Dejligst blandt kvinder {The fairest of women}
18:52 - X. Den store, hvide flok {The great, white host}
21:49 - XI. Fantegutten {The gypsy lad}
22:58 - XII. Røtnams-Knut
-Composer: Edvard Hagerup Grieg (15 June 1843 – 4 September 1907)
-Performers: Grex Vocalis
Album for Mandssang {12 Norwegian Folksong arrangements for soli and male choir}, op. 30, written in 1877-78
00:00 - I. Jeg lagde mig så sildig {I lay down so late}
01:38 - II. Bådn-låt {Children's song}
03:36 - III. Torø liti {Little Toro}
06:05 - IV. Kvålins halling
09:47 - V. Dae ae den største dårleheit {It is the greatest folly}
11:46 - VI. Springdans {Spring dance: When I go out in the evening}
13:05 - VII. Han Ole {Young Ole}
15:32 - VIII. Halling
16:36 - IX. Dejligst blandt kvinder {The fairest of women}
18:52 - X. Den store, hvide flok {The great, white host}
21:49 - XI. Fantegutten {The gypsy lad}
22:58 - XII. Røtnams-Knut
![Edvard Grieg - Album for Mandssang, op. 30 [With score]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9SYBtGxTlq0/mqdefault.jpg "Edvard Grieg - Album for Mandssang, op. 30 [With score]
-Composer: Edvard Hagerup Grieg (15 June 1843 – 4 September 1907)
-Performers: Grex Vocalis
Album for Mandssang {12 Norwegian Folksong arrangements for soli and male choir}, op. 30, written in 1877-78
00:00 - I. Jeg lagde mig så sildig {I lay down so late}
01:38 - II. Bådn-låt {Childrens song}
03:36 - III. Torø liti {Little Toro}
06:05 - IV. Kvålins halling
09:47 - V. Dae ae den største dårleheit {It is the greatest folly}
11:46 - VI. Springdans {Spring dance: When I go out in the evening}
13:05 - VII. Han Ole {Young Ole}
15:32 - VIII. Halling
16:36 - IX. Dejligst blandt kvinder {The fairest of women}
18:52 - X. Den store, hvide flok {The great, white host}
21:49 - XI. Fantegutten {The gypsy lad}
22:58 - XII. Røtnams-Knut")
![Francis Poulenc - Promenades [With score]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/A-_ktq-eGr0/mqdefault.jpg "Francis Poulenc - Promenades [With score]
Composer: Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (7 January 1899 – 30 January 1963)
Performer: Pascal Rogé
Promenades for Piano Solo, written in 1921
00:03 - À pied
02:05 - En auto
03:05 - À cheval
04:15 - En bateau
05:22 - En avion
08:12 - En autobus
09:15 - En voiture
11:29 - En chemin de fer
12:09 - À bicyclette
13:06 - En diligence")
![Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony No. 12 The Year 1917 [With score]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/A3NT6na2VOQ/mqdefault.jpg "Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony No. 12 The Year 1917 [With score]
Composer: Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (25 September 1906 9 August 1975)
Orchestra: Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Kirill Kondrashin
Symphony No. 12 in D minor (The Year 1917), Op. 112, written in 1961
00:00 - I. [Revolutionary Petrograd]*
12:38 - II. [Razliv]*
23:15 - III. [Aurora]*
27:07 - IV. [The Dawn of Humanity]*
*(All movements without intermission)
The Symphony No. 12 in D minor, Op. 112, was composed in 1960-1961 and is dedicated to the memory of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. Shostakovich programatically entitled it The Year 1917, and the titles of the four movements have also reference to the events of that year:
1. Revolutionary Petrograd; 2. Razliv; 3. Aurora; 4. The Dawn of Humanity. The title of the second movement is the name of the place near which Lenin stayed in hiding, that of the third the name of the legendary battle cruiser Aurora whose broadside meant the starting shot of the Revolution, on October 25th, 1917.
The idea of a symphony with Lenin as subject had been on Shostakovichs mind for decades but he changed his plans several times. Lenins death in 1924 became the decisive impulse. But it was only in 1940 that his future work assumed more concrete forms in his imagination; he conceived it as a symphonic vocal cycle in four movements: The first movement will deal with Vladimir Ilyichs youth, the second with Lenin as the leader of the October Revolution, the third with Vladimir Ilyichs death, and the fourth with life without Lenin, but on his way, in his spirit. I already have a number of musical fragments which will be part of this work. Originally, the composer had planned to use excerpts from poetic text of his work; he also wanted to incorporate in his symphony popular songs about Lenin, but his plans were thwarted when World War II broke out.
Only twenty years later, Shostakovich resumed his interrupted work. In a broadcast on October 29th, 1960, he relates to the development of his work and his motivation: I myself have been witness of the events of the October Revolution. I was one of those listening to Vladimir Ilyich on the square in front of the Finland Railway Station on the day of his arrival. And though I was quite young then, this has mad an indelible impression on my mind. My memories of these unforgettable days do of course help me in my work. The composer completed the full score of the symphony - meanwhile a merely instrumental one - on August 22nd, 1961.
The Twelfth Symphony was first performed on October 1st, 1961, in Leningrad, by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra; its first performance in Moscow, by the State Symphony Orchestra of the USSR took place two weeks later.
Original Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU_Yo7NSe1o&t=1s")
![Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - String Quartet No. 14, K. 387 [With score]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/A3bAiTtM2Pc/mqdefault.jpg "Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - String Quartet No. 14, K. 387 [With score]
-Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791)
-Performers: Quatuor Mosaïques
String Quartet No. 14 in G major, K. 387, written in 1782 [Haydn Quartet I]
00:06 - I. Allegro vivace assai
11:37 - II. Menuetto. Allegro
19:24 - III. Andante cantabile
26:39 - IV. Molto Allegro
Completed on the last day of 1782, this work would serve as the first of a set of six string quartets Mozart would dedicate to Haydn. Over nine years separate the first of this group from its predecessor among the quartets, K. 173 in D minor, composed in 1773. The string quartet was, at this time, a relatively new medium still in the process of development. From the genres beginnings in works that were little more than divertimenti, one man above all others was bringing the string quartet toward the point where it would ultimately be recognized as the most challenging of all forms of composition. That man was Joseph Haydn. A direct impetus for Mozarts return to quartet writing seems to have come from Haydn, who in 1781 published a new set of six as his Op. 33. Mozart almost certainly first met Haydn shortly after settling in Vienna in 1781, and the two men soon established a friendship based on mutual admiration. As is known from a famous anecdote recorded by Irish tenor Michael Kelly, they also played quartets together with two other notable Viennese composers, Johann Vanhal and Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf. The inspiration provided by Haydn is clearly apparent in the quartets Mozart composed in the wake of these encounters. It is therefore hardly surprising that on completing six quartets of his own (K. 387, K. 421, K. 428, K. 458, K. 464, and K. 465) Mozarts publication would bear a famous dedicatory preface to Haydn that has led to them becoming somewhat confusingly known as Mozarts Haydn quartets. In the course of Mozarts touching tribute to the older master, he refers to the long and laborious endeavor that had gone into them, a unique admission from a man who normally composed with extraordinary facility, and a pointed reminder of the extreme challenge posed by this most pure of musical forms. Cast in four movements, this G major effort may divulge a few characteristics of the older masters style, but would in the end influence Haydn in his subsequent quartets as well. The opening movement, marked Allegro vivace assai, features fairly intricate instrumental writing: thematic lines are often started by one instrument and completed by another. It also contains a complex, substantial development section; yet the music is quite easy for the listener to grasp. The main theme is graceful and light, lengthy in its winding, sunny pathway. For all its seeming lightness, however, the music has considerable expressive depth, even if the alternate theme is carefree and largely devoid of deeper significance. The development section begins in a somewhat ponderous manner, the music at first appearing a bit hesitant before taking on an animated, more serious character. A delightful reprise closes out this joyful and masterful movement. The ensuing Minuet is elegant and light, but can jolt the listener with its sudden changes in dynamics in both the main theme and second subject. The Trio is deftly imagined in its mixture of gruff playfulness and gentle mystery. The Andante cantabile third movement sings its music in an exalted way, the main theme presented in a sort of complex unraveling of its wares, with many highs accompanied by deep lows from the cello. The whole movement conveys a serene, almost celestial quality, at times sounding mysterious, at others rapturous. The finale, marked Molto Allegro, presents a lively, joyous main theme, which Mozart treats contrapuntally for much of the movement, again with instrumental writing divulging much complexity. The alternate theme is just as lively, but more playful, not exhibiting the vigor and glorious manner of the main material. The music effervesces with energy and color throughout the finale, crowning this half-hour quartet with a blissful close.
[allmusic.com]")
![Gabriel Fauré - 13 Barcarolles [With score]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/AVyz84exhlQ/mqdefault.jpg "Gabriel Fauré - 13 Barcarolles [With score]
-Composer: Gabriel Urbain Fauré (12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924)
-Piano: Delphine Bardin
13 Barcarolles for Piano (1880 – 1921)
00:00 - I. Allegretto moderato, op. 26 (1880)
04:50 - II. Allegretto quasi Allegro, op. 41 (1885)
11:47 - III. Andante quasi Allegretto, op. 42 (1885)
18:43 - IV. Allegretto, op. 44 (1886)
22:42 - V. Allegretto moderato, op. 66 (1894)
28:45 - VI. Allegretto vivo, op. 70 (1896)
32:31 - VII. Allegretto moderato, op. 90 (1905)
35:35 - VIII. Allegretto moderato, op. 96 (1906)
39:10 - IX. Andante moderato, op. 101 (1909)
43:22 - X. Allegretto moderato, op. 104/2 (1913)
46:43 - XI. Allegretto moderato, op. 105 (1913)
51:10 - XII. Allegretto giocoso, op. 106bis (1915)
54:31 - XIII. Allegretto, op. 116 (1921)
Barcarolles were originally folk songs sung by Venetian gondoliers. In Morrisons phrase, Faurés use of the term was more convenient than precise. Fauré was not attracted by fanciful titles for musical pieces, and maintained that he would not use even such generic titles as barcarolle if his publishers did not insist. His son Philippe recalled, he would far rather have given his Nocturnes, Impromptus, and even his Barcarolles the simple title Piano Piece no. so-and-so. Nevertheless, following the precedents of Chopin and most conspicuously Mendelssohn, Fauré made extensive use of the barcarolle, in what his biographer Jessica Duchen calls an evocation of the rhythmic rocking and lapping of water around appropriately lyrical melodies.
Faurés ambidexterity is reflected in the layout of many of his piano works, notably in the barcarolles, where the main melodic line is often in the middle register, with the accompaniments in the high treble part of the keyboard as well as in the bass. Duchen likens the effect of this in the barcarolles to that of a reflection shining up through the water.
Like the nocturnes, the barcarolles span nearly the whole of Faurés composing career, and they similarly display the evolution of his style from the uncomplicated charm of the early pieces to the withdrawn and enigmatic quality of the late works. All are written with compound time signatures (6/8, 9/8, or 6/4).
[more on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_music_of_Gabriel_Faur%C3%A9#Barcarolles]")
![Olivier Messiaen - Catalogue doiseaux (Book 2) [With score]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/AiJr3ZlUnoA/mqdefault.jpg "Olivier Messiaen - Catalogue doiseaux (Book 2) [With score]
Composer: Olivier Messiaen (10 December 1908 27 April 1992)
Pianist: Yvonne Loriod (Messiaens wife)
Olivier Messiaen - Catalogue doiseaux, written between 1956-1958, Book 2 (Deuxième livre)
IV. Le Traquet Stapazin (Western black-eared wheatear)
The tranquil Le traquet stapazin (the black-eared wheatear) comprises the second book; the movement programmatically moves from sunrise to sunset.")
![Gabriel Fauré - 9 Préludes [With score]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BDt8xu29V8U/mqdefault.jpg "Gabriel Fauré - 9 Préludes [With score]
-Composer: Gabriel Urbain Fauré (12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924)
-Performer: Germaine Thyssens-Valentin
9 Preludes for Piano, op. 103, written in 1909-10
00:00 - I. Andante molto moderato
03:27 - II. Allegro
05:34 - III. Andante
09:06 - IV. Allegretto moderato
10:56 - V. Allegro
13:24 - VI. Andante
16:07 - VII. Andante moderato
18:28 - VIII. Allegro
19:32 - IX. Adagio
Composed in 1910, the Préludes are Fauré at his most old-masterly. They are also exactly contemporary with Debussys first book of Préludes; where the latter, for all their exquisiteness, are extroverted public statements, Faurés are a concentrated, inward utterance. The first three Préludes date from January and were performed for the first time by Marguerite Long at a Société Nationale concert on May 17, 1910, before being published by Heugel that year. But over July and into the autumn six more Préludes followed, and it seems that Fauré then intended to work his way through the cycle of major and minor keys a plan which fell by the wayside with the resumption of work on his lyric drama, Pénélope. The remaining six were issued separately by Heugel the following year and eventually published together with the initial Préludes in a single collection in 1923. If their piecemeal appearance and small number helped drop them into obscurity, they are comparable, nevertheless, to Chopins and Debussys contributions to the genre in point of pith and emotional power.
In D flat, the first prélude looks back to the Verlaine settings of the 1890s wistfully and with tendresse, interrupted by a plangent B section which seems to toll the passing hour, rising to a tense climax soothed by the return of the initial strain and rounded with a coda-like a benediction. Likewise, the restless C sharp triplets of the second prélude are met by a carillon-like admonition. The third prélude seems to recall the dreaming, hesitant interludes of the joyous Third Impromptu for piano, of 1883, in a somber G minor rife with nostalgia. In F, the fourth prélude looks forward and backward; it includes a phrase which turns up again in the Menuet of Masques et bergamasques in 1918, and also harks back to the blithe world of the Verlaine settings. The following D minor outburst takes one by surprise anger yielding almost conversationally to resignation. In E flat, the sixth prélude takes the form of a canon at the octave in a severe, obsessive meditation. The anxious flight of the seventh prélude, in A composed in early September is associated with the final illness of Faurés father-in-law, the sculptor, Emmanuel Fremiet. The tiny C minor study in repeated notes suggests a wryly sec serenade; the final prélude in E minor a mere 33 bars calls to mind the meditative compactness of Bach, albeit with an harmonic motility lending its straightforward statement tortuous piquancy. Taken together, the Préludes afford several direct, hence rare, glimpses of Faurés inner being in Wallace Stevens phrase, a self returning mostly memory.
[allmusic.com]")
![Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony No. 13 Babi Yar [With score]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BEyDiOon0jg/mqdefault.jpg "Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony No. 13 Babi Yar [With score]
-Composer: Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (25 September 1906 – 9 August 1975)
-Text: Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Yevtushenko
-Bass: Sergei Aleksashkin
-Chorus: Choral Academy Moscow
-Orchestra: WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne
-Conductor: Rudolf Barshai
Symphony No. 13, op. 113 Babi Yar, written in 1962
00:07 - I. Babi Yar (Adagio)
17:11 - II. Humour (Allegretto)
25:33 - III. In the Store (Adagio)
38:18 - IV. Fears (Largo)
50:13 - V. Career (Allegretto)
The death of Josef Stalin on March 5, 1953, ushered in an era of freedom for Soviet artists. But, oddly enough, for nearly a decade following the dictators passing, Shostakovich, one of the chief targets of Soviet censors in the past, wrote nothing of a radical or adventurous nature. In 1962, however, he broke out of his conservative shell and composed his Symphony No. 13, whose expressive language is deeper and more uncompromising than any of his then-recent compositions. Only the unwieldy Symphony No. 4, whose belated premiere took place in 1961, 25 years after its completion, is as challenging and substantive.
Even before the Symphony No. 13s premiere, Shostakovich was in trouble with the Khrushchev regime over it, though not, however, because of his music, but rather because of the texts he chose to set. The work uses five poems by Evgeny Yevtushenko, and it was the first of these in particular, Babi Yar, from which the symphony derives its subtitle, that created the controversy. It tells of oppression of the Jews in Russia, an injustice Soviets felt the need to deny.
Over the objections of government officials, the premiere of the symphony took place in December 1962. It was a success, but pressures mounted to suppress or modify the work and a second performance had to be canceled. Bowing at last to the wishes of authorities, Yevtushenko and Shostakovich allowed the texts to be attenuated. Another performance took place, with the textual changes, after which the work disappeared from Soviet concert halls for nearly three years.
The Symphony No. 13 is made up of five movements, each having a subtitle pertaining to a Yevtushenko poem: Adagio (Babi Yar), Allegretto (Humor), Adagio (In the store), Largo (Fears), and Allegretto (A career). The chorus sings in unison or octaves throughout, except for a passage near the end of the third movement. The orchestral forces are sizeable, but Shostakovichs scoring tends to be sparing throughout, although there are outbursts of considerable power in several places.
The first movement is dark and dramatic, morbid and harsh. This bleak panel, with the bass soloist prominent throughout much of its duration, is an atmospheric and powerful setting of Yevtushenkos texts. The second movement is a Scherzo, and its Humor is often tart and brash.
The last three movements are continuous. The text of In the store praises the ordinary working woman. Shostakovichs music is subdued and dark throughout most of the movement, painting a bleak picture of life (which Soviet officials also could not have found much to their liking). The riveting climax in this section comes when the chorus sings (about women), To shortchange them is shameful.... The austere and dark fourth movement deals with fears, as the chorus starts off whispering the word, effectively summoning a fearful atmosphere. The last movement, which offers text praising those with integrity in their careers, begins with an attractive, slightly sad waltz, although the mood throughout is brighter than in any previous panel. The ending is quiet, with the waltz turning gossamer, almost mystical.
In the last two decades of the twentieth century, this symphony gained considerable popularity both in the concert hall and on recordings. A typical performance of it lasts from about an hour to nearly 70 minutes.
[allmusic.com]")
![Sul C and beyond, 1st movement [My composition]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BlmuTolk18M/mqdefault.jpg "Sul C and beyond, 1st movement [My composition]
Sul C and beyond (...with some approximations) for 2 pianos, I - Prelude
Written in December 2019
+++Sorry for the bad sound quality and messy score
*** Please notice that I dont study composition, I compose only for fun.")
![John Ireland - Phantasie for Piano Trio [With score]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/C6Dqe-bCvP8/mqdefault.jpg "John Ireland - Phantasie for Piano Trio [With score]
Composer: John Ireland (13 August 1879 - 12 June 1962)
Performers: Holywell Ensemble [Kate Bailey (violin), Spike Wilson (cello), Margaret Ozanne (piano)]
Phantasie for Piano Trio [Piano Trio No. 1], written in 1906
John Ireland (1879-1962) was born in the English village of Bowdon near the city of Manchester. After studying at the Royal College of Music in London with Charles Villiers Stanford, he pursued a career as a composer and teacher eventually obtaining a position at the College. Among his students were Ernest Moeran and Benjamin Britten. Primarily a composer of songs, during the early part of his career, Ireland did write chamber music and won the first prize in the 1908 Cobbett Competition for chamber music with his First Violin Sonata.
His Phantasie for Piano Trio in a minor dates from 1906 and was composed for an earlier Cobbett Competition. The Cobbett Competitions were designed to encourage the younger generation of British composers to write chamber music. Its founder and benefactor was the chamber music aficionado William Wilson Cobbett. The rules of the competition provided an alternate format, the old English Fancy for Fantasia from the time of Purcell, to the traditional four movement work which had developed from Haydn onwards. There was to be only a single movement of around 15 minutes duration embracing a variety of moods, tone colors and tempi while at the same time retaining an inner unity.
Ireland’s Phantasie for Piano Trio, in keeping with the rules of the competition, is in one movement but has three sections. The trio begins in dramatic and full of passion, but there are also reflective and brooding interludes characterized by chromaticism as well as beautifully melodic and jovial episodes.
Original Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNSe4NRv-IU")
![Edvard Grieg - String Quartet No. 2 in F Major, EG 117 [With score]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CSJGXFm5y70/mqdefault.jpg "Edvard Grieg - String Quartet No. 2 in F Major, EG 117 [With score]
Composer: Edvard Hagerup Grieg (15 June 1843 4 September 1907)
Performers: Raphael Quartet [Ronald Hoogeveen (violin), Ramy Koch (violin), Zoltan Benyacz (viola), Henk Lambooij (cello)]
String Quartet No. 2 in F Major, EG 117, written in 1890(1)- [Fragment]
00:00 - I. Sostenuto – Allegro vivace e grazioso
09:26 - II. Allegro scherzando*
*Third and fourth movements are incomplete -only sketches left-, but there is a complete version with all movements by Julius Röntgen, Griegs friend. For Röntgens version, see below the description.
After leaving Copenhagen Grieg never again had the time or the peace necessary to finish this work, the String Quartet No 2 in F major. For the rest of his life we can see that his conscience was troubled by this unfinished music—‘that accursed string quartet which constantly lies there like an old Norwegian cheese’ (letter to Brodsky, 1895).
In 1903 Grieg wrote to the Leipzig publishers Peters: ‘You probably remember me mentioning an unfinished string quartet? I had intended to finish it, but these last years have brought so much, both physically and spiritually, that I wasn’t motivated to proceed with this cheerful work—quite the opposite of opus 27. But I hope to find the long-sought tranquility and inclination this summer.’ Then in 1906, just a year before his death, he wrote to Brodsky: ‘If only I could at least finish the string quartet for you!’ In 1907, at the time of his death, there were still only two movements and some sketches for the rest. The following year Grieg’s Dutch friend, Julius Röntgen, acquired the manuscripts from Grieg’s wife, Nina, and edited the first two movements for Peters.
Röntgen also arranged a special ‘premiere’ of the String Quartet in F major in his home. In a letter to Nina Grieg, dated November 1907, he wrote: ‘You should have been with us last evening! We played the quartet. It was strange to sit there and realize that now it was being heard for the first time, and that Edvard himself never got to hear it. But now you must hear who made up the quartet. It was unusual. Harold Bauer, the great pianist, played first violin and really did a fine job. Pablo Casals played second violin and held the violin between his legs just like a cello. I played the viola, and Mrs Casals played the cello in a remarkable way. All four of us were filled with the greatest excitement—with my wife as the only audience!’
[http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dw.asp?dc=W8100_67117]
Original Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_VJfxec1fw")
![Edvard Grieg - Song Transcriptions (Volume I), op. 41 [With score]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DMoRfTWmv4A/mqdefault.jpg "Edvard Grieg - Song Transcriptions (Volume I), op. 41 [With score]
-Composer: Edvard Hagerup Grieg (15 June 1843 – 4 September 1907)
-Performer: Gerhard Oppitz
Piano Transcriptions of Songs (Volume I), op. 41, written in 1884
00:00 - I. Vuggesang {Cradle Song} (From op. 9/2)
03:18 - II. Lille Haakon {Little Haakon} (From op. 15/1)
06:41 - III. Jeg elsker dig {I love thee} (From op. 5/3)
10:02 - IV. Hun er så hvid {She is so white} (From op. 18/2)
11:44 - V. Prinsessen {The Princess} (From EG 133)
16:59 - VI. Til våren {To Spring} (From op. 21/3)
Each of these six short pieces is a beautiful miniature exemplifying the composers unique late-Romantic style. The words of the original songs are written above the treble or below the bass, nearest whichever hand is currently playing the melody. The imagery of the texts is a great aid to interpretation as they reveal frequently unexpected meaning and narrative turns.
The Wiegenlied (Cradle Song) opens in the harmonically rich key of G sharp minor in an Allegretto doloroso tempo. The simple modal melody is in the left hand, while the harmonies that float above it gradually move from plaintive chords within the scale to chromatic modifications which create tensions that follow the revelations of the text: Sleep, my boy...laying so gently in your little bed; alas, she who once gave you life, lies peacefully in the cold, dark grave. She cannot now...cover you with love, sing to you in sweet calmness (translations by this writer). The repetition of the theme begins with a male chorus-like four-voice harmonization in the bass. This is followed by concerto-like declamations before diminishing to a gentle coda.
Klein Haakon (Little Haakon) is another tune about a child and his mother. Little Haakon had barely closed his eyes...then he saw...the most beautiful dream. A staircase rose to the vault of heaven on which Gods angels descended....They watch over his slumber faithful throughout the night...your mother also watches. The lovely melody, in ABA form, remains in the major with touching substitute harmonies for the lines surrounding the dream, but modulates into F minor for the sleep imagery. Grieg then lets loose with romantic pianisms: rolling basses, three-against-two and three-against-four rhythms, and a splendid coda of warm chromaticisms and a wash of sparkling harp-like arpeggios in the high register.
Ich liebe dich (I love you) is a ballad with surprisingly modern harmonies, especially the minor seconds in the introduction. A melody in the baritone range expresses the barely restrained passion of the work: ...You of my hearts first salvation! I love you like nothing else in this world, I love you in time and eternity! Similar to the other pieces, the melody is developed with fuller chords and emotional pulsations.
Wenn einst sie lag an meiner Brust (Sie ist so weiss) (When first she lay on my breast [she was so pure]) is the briefest work of this cycle. The text concerns a deceased lover, and the altered harmonies add a strange shadow to an almost waltzing melody.
Die Prinzessin (The Princess) is a small tone poem with many, moderately difficult coloristic effects about a princess who asks the boy in the valley who blows on the schawm to be quiet so that her thoughts may roam freely when the sun sinks.
Dem Lenz soll mein Lied erklingen (My song resounds to the springtime) contrasts a lyrical, pastoral melody with sprightly, dance figures (against a rhythmic drone).
[allmusic.com]")
