Edvard Grieg

Between 1867 and 1901, Edvard Grieg (1843–1907) wrote ten sets of little mood pictures for piano that display his great musical gifts at their lyrical best. Charming works of elegant simplicity and warmth, they have become cornerstones of the piano repertoire, favorites of both amateur and professional musicians and their audiences.This authoritative edition presents all 66 of these piano jewels in one finely made yet inexpensive volume. Although technically uncomplicated and reasonably easy to master, the Lyric Pieces evoke with startling freshness a wide emotional range, often bringing into play the varied moods and idioms of Norwegian folk music, an evergreen source of Grieg's inspiration. They vary in mood from the serene sadness of ''Berceuse'' and the nostalgic yearning of ''To Spring'' to the fanciful ''Elves' Dance'' and the joyful ''Wedding Day at Troldhaugen.''In many passages, the music exhibits harmonies that were novel for the time — harmonies recognizably late-romantic in style, but clearly anticipating the impressionism of Debussy, Ravel, and others. Pianists at every level of accomplishment will find this volume of delightful and moving works, reprinted here from the original editions published by C. F. Peters of Leipzig, a perfect companion for hours of musical pleasure.