What about Grieg?

[frigo]

Can you tell me some of the best Grieg compositions for piano solo?

If you please, describe some characteristics like: are they too small or too long? Are they very hard to play for a regular-non-professional piano player?
And everything else you want to coment about the musics you post...

[mcgillcomposer]

Can you tell me some of the best Grieg compositions for piano solo?

If you please, describe some characteristics like: are they too small or too long? Are they very hard to play for a regular-non-professional piano player?
And everything else you want to coment about the musics you post...

The sonata in e minor is very diverse in character, is fairly short (for a Romantic period sonata), and is moderate in difficulty - perhaps advanced for the typical non-professional. It contains an alberti-like bass figure that spans a tenth which may cause difficulty for some.

[richard black]

Look at the Slatter, Op. 72 (I think) - they're almost never played but great fun. Pianistically challenging in places, too.

[tengstrand]

This is an easy one: The Ballad
Per

[ahinton]

Look at the Slatter, Op. 72 (I think) - they're almost never played but great fun. Pianistically challenging in places, too.

Hear, hear!

Best,

Alistair

[mattgreenecomposer]

All of his Lyric Pieces are little gems.  Most of them aren't too difficult if you are an advanced player.

[pianochick93]

Easy: Elfin Dance, and Waltz in A minor (I think) from the lyric pieces.
Harder: In The Hall of the Mountain King, Anitras Dance, Ases Tod, and a few others I can't remember the name of.

Elfin Dance is very fun. As is the Waltz. As is Anitra's Dance, as are all of them in general...

[frigo]

Thank you all.

[mikey6]

Harder: In The Hall of the Mountain King, Anitras Dance, Ases Tod, and a few others I can't remember the name of.

The Peer Gynt Transcriptions really don't work that well on piano, perhaps besides morning.
The Ballade, the sonata and the lyric pieces are the most often played of his solo works.

[slobone]

Check out a piece called I think Peasant's March in the Lyric Pieces. It's the one that repeats the same pattern all the way down the keyboard. It's a lot of fun to play and not terribly difficult. Your audience will think it's much harder than it is!

[clhiospzitn]

His Elegies (op. 34) are very beautiful pieces - the second one, called "Last Spring", is very famous and is usually played by an orchestra, but he did write a version of it just for the piano.  These pieces aren't very difficult, but there are numerous accidentals in them and it can be quite challenging to bring out the melodies at times.

Of course everyone's already mentioned the Lyric Pieces, but two of my favorites are no. 21 and the Butterfly.

[alpacinator1]

I like Wedding Day at the Trauldhagen

[nanabush]

His Sonata is Incredible... the 4th movement has some tear-out-your-hair moments, but it is an amazing piece.

[ahinton]

Ases Tod

Now there's a good one! (said he, indulging in abit of shameless yet indirect self-publicity thereby)...

Best,

Alistair (another Scot, like the grandson of Alexander Greig)...

[rachfan]

Hi frigo,

Here is a link to one of Grieg's Lyric Pieces, "At thy Feet" that I posted over in the Audition Room recently.  If you'd like to listen to it, you might like it and decide decide to play it.  It's very beautiful, probably one of his best pieces.  Enjoy!

http://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,26805.0.html

[pianovirus]

The Peer Gynt Transcriptions really don't work that well on piano, perhaps besides morning.

I find the Holberg suite transcription (by Grieg himself, I think) works nicely. Especially the famous 1st mv. is a lot of fun on the piano.