Grieg: From Holberg's Time, Op. 40 (Version for String Orchestra)
Composer: Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) Arranger: Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) Instrumentation: String Orchestra Work: Holberg Suite (Version for String Orchestra), Op. 40 Binding: ISMN: 9790006567621 Size: 9.6 x 12.2 inches Pages: 27 Urtext / Critical Edition Description To celebrate the 200th birthday of the playwright Ludvig Holberg, a statue was erected in his honour in 1884. Edvard Grieg, who, like Holberg, was born in Bergen, was commissioned to write an open-air cantata for the ceremony. But he also refers to Holberg in his instrumental music. The result was a "powdered wig piece" (as Grieg wrote to his publisher) that hearkens back to Holberg's era – a historicising suite of baroque dances for piano, ranging from an exhilarating prelude and several dance numbers to a Bachian "air" and an impetuous "rigaudon". Later Grieg arranged his "Suite in the Olden Style" for string orchestra. This version became one of his most popular compositions. For our new scholarly-critica