Help with Grieg Piano Concerto op. 16 for a novel

[valegere]

Dear all,

I’m new to the forum and I’m not a pianist nor a musician. I’m a writer and I’m currently writing a novel whose plot is about a love story between a pianist and a conductor. They meet as they perform together Grieg Piano Concerto op. 16 in A minor. I would be grateful if you could help me with some insights about this piece, from the pianist point of view.
In particular:
1) please identify 2 tricky spots in 1st movement and 2 tricky spots in 3rd movement (refer to bar numbers)
2) please identify 3 main challenges of the piece
3) please identify 3 problems the pianist could have in his rehearsals with the orchestra
4) please identify 3 suggestions the conductor may have for the pianist

In your answers to N. 3 and N. 4, let your fantasy run free. This is fictional, it doesn’t need to be true, only believable.

If you send me a private message with your real-life names, I’d be happy to acknowledge you in my novel.

Thank you very much.

[thalbergmad]

Reminds me slightly of the 1939 film Intermezzo, but that was a love story between a pianist and a violinist, but it was the Grieg Concerto that sets them off.

Thal

[valegere]

Thank you for this information, I didn't know about this movie. in my novel, it made sense to me to choose this piece because the fictional conductor is Norwegian, and some parts of the novel are set in Oslo, but I'm still in time to replace it with another piano concerto.

[liszt1022]

Er romanen i norsk??

Norwegians are proud of Grieg, but their orchestras don't let that get in the way of playing better music.

Grieg's concerto in A minor does not hold high esteem with professional pianists. It is usually done by students (which perhaps your protagonist is.) If the pianist is more established, it's likely he or she would be doing a more difficult concerto (which is pretty much any other concerto.)
Popular concertos are Rachmaninoff's 2nd and 3rd, both of Brahms', both of Chopin's, Beethoven's 3rd, 4th, 5th, and lots of Mozart - but those are hard to find so many problems on performance, they're pretty straightforward.

You could just make up a piano concerto like in that lame movie "Grand Piano."

[j_menz]

spam

[theholygideons]

spam

[liszt1022]

I wasn't including myself in "professional pianists."
I'm the least snobby pianist ever... I like Grieg's A minor concerto quite a lot! Composers and concertos seem to go in trends, and I'm trying to reflect the impression I've got that Grieg is for students. I respect anyone who has played Grieg better than me (which is pretty much any other pianist.)

[thalbergmad]

Over the years, I have begun to despise the Grieg Piano Concerto and it's ongoing popularity is a mystery to me.

Anyone who has listened to the Sinding & Alnaes coupling on the Hyperion RPC No.42 cannot fail to admit their superiority over the damned Grieg.

Thal

[coda_colossale]

I'd suggest you to pick a concerto that is parallel the plot/the characters and goes with the general mood of the novel. So, it'd be great if you could tell us more about the novel.

[stringoverstrung]

Dear all,

In particular:
1) please identify 2 tricky spots in 1st movement and 2 tricky spots in 3rd movement (refer to bar numbers)
2) please identify 3 main challenges of the piece
3) please identify 3 problems the pianist could have in his rehearsals with the orchestra
4) please identify 3 suggestions the conductor may have for the pianist

In your answers to N. 3 and N. 4, let your fantasy run free. This is fictional, it doesn’t need to be true, only believable.

If you send me a private message with your real-life names, I’d be happy to acknowledge you in my novel.

Thank you very much.

For people who play the piano it might matter which concerto, for others (i suppose the vast majority of your readers it wouldn't make a difference i guess. So I second the opinion that the overall mood of the novel will determine the choice of concerto.
Answers to 1 & 2: you need to decide on the concerto first
3) The pianist complains that the brass section is too loud in the tutti.
     Some musicians are not on time for rehearsal.
     the orchestra does not follow / comply with the tempo set or desired by the pianist and conductor when a tempo change occur in the middle of the piece (i.e. the conductor must "pull up" the tempo of the orchestra every time)    -> the conductor proposes to review the tempi in private with the pianist after the rehearsal ... tada a moment alone...
4) Conductor: "You are the soloist but in this part you need to behave like a member of the orchestra because your part is background here" (you would not say that to a world class pianist i guess)
"Wait for my sign like this to start tempo change together (this will reassure the female pianist -> trust)"
" Do you want me to make more eye contact with you during the performance? (to better sync the performance - feel as one...)"
"In this section i suggest you play a little softer for a better overall balance of the sound (the conductor is the best judge for the overall balance) (after when he has gone into the concert hall to listen to the result at the place where the audience will be"
" In bar 508 you should really make a FF subito: it is not loud enough and its get lost in the brass tutti (please see point nr 3). " (check the number of bars in the chosen concerto)
"Don't hold back in the last section (Maestoso). "(check if the concerto has a Maestoso section)

[keystobeauty]

"I’m new to the forum and I’m not a pianist nor a musician. I’m a writer and I’m currently writing a novel whose plot is about a love story between a pianist and a conductor. They meet as they perform together Grieg Piano Concerto op. 16 in A minor. I would be grateful if you could help me with some insights about this piece, from the pianist point of view.
In particular:
1) please identify 2 tricky spots in 1st movement and 2 tricky spots in 3rd movement (refer to bar numbers)
2) please identify 3 main challenges of the piece
3) please identify 3 problems the pianist could have in his rehearsals with the orchestra
4) please identify 3 suggestions the conductor may have for the pianist"

I think the Grieg Concerto is a perfect backdrop for a romance novel. It is melodic and passionate and it could definitely incite some intense physical contact.

I played it many years ago and since I do not have the score in front of me at the moment, I cannot give you a bar number. However, there is a difficult passage to not only play but that is also tricky to coordinate with the orchestra right after the orchestra and the piano play the opening theme. It involves a series of quick fourths or fifths descending down the keyboard in the right hand. In the third movement there are two themes; the second is very beautiful. At the conclusion of the movement the orchestra plays it while the pianist complements with a series of scales. This must come off perfectly to end the piece well.

Although this concerto is one of the easier concertos to learn and perform, it requires much passion and intuitiveness to pull it off and elicit a strong response from the audience. I remember when Van Cliburn played it with the NY Philharmonic back in the 70s on PBS television. I was studying in the Juilliard Pre-college at the time and the faculty ridiculed the performance to the students. I thought Cliburn was just great. (My teacher studied with him at Juilliard and never got over Cliburn being chosen to play in the Tchaikovsky competition over him.) The piece fit Cliburn well. He wasn't that good at playing Baroque and Classical era music. It was the Romantics that Cliburn dominated, including Grieg. His height and good looks and intense feeling suited the music well. Concert performance is much more than just playing the music the way the composer intended. Cliburn connected with the audience.

Possible issues with the concerto could include timing (concertos are a pain when it comes to the piano and orchestra entering together exactly on time), disagreement between the pianist and conductor over dynamics (the pianist wants a bigger crescendo, the conductor says no; the conductor wants to push the temp, the pianist says no; the pianist wants to use more rubato, which is a pulling back on timing and the conductor says no way...these issues must be worked out), and of course the clash of egos. Conductors can offer their musical expertise but the pianist is the soloist and in my opinion should determine what it is going to happen on that stage. He or she should call the shots when it comes to tempo and interpretation. This conflict of wills could give your novel the tension that helps make a good read.

I hope this helps.