1

A fascinating documentary exploring the unusual relationship that developed between Norway’s greatest composer, Edvard Grieg, and Australia’s wunderkind pianist,

Percy Grainger, told in their own words.

“I missed … the marvellous Percy Grainger, who turned pages for me at the concert

and whom I love as if he were a young woman”

Edvard Grieg, Thursday 24 May 1906

Narrated by Natalie Shea

CastEdvard Grieg – Ole Böhn

Percy Grainger – Toby Chadd

PRINCIPAL SPONSOR

www.vikingcruises.com.au

PRESENTS

WHEN EDVARD MET PERCY

2

BONUS FEATURES

GRAINGER’S LETTERS

Extracts from Grainger’s response to Grieg’s letter complimenting him on his “splendid folk song settings for mixed voices” – 14 April 1905

Dear Master,I cannot begin to tell you with what deep joy and surprise I received your picture; nor can I thank you for your very great goodness in writing to me the friendly words on it. I am exceedingly happy and proud that you don’t think badly of my folksongs.

Accompanying photo, dedicated “In most heartfelt thankfulness & admiration, Percy Grainger. 4. 05”

Courtesy Bergen Public Library, The Edvard Grieg Archives

Courtesy Bergen Public Library, The Edvard Grieg Archives

3

Extracts from Percy Grainger’s letter to Edvard Grieg – 8 December 1906

Courtesy Bergen Public Library, The Edvard Grieg Archives

Dear Master,

No, it was all too lovely to get the long sweet letter from you. How kind it is of you to spare me so much time. I am inexpressibly happy to have the 2 lovely letters from you; a thousand thanks. This about the Leeds Festival is enchanting. Even if your kind thought about letting me play the piano concerto doesn’t come to anything, it will always be the most lovely thought for me to remember that you once wanted it. I can’t at all tell you what this means to me.

Yes, piano concertos are performed at such Festivals. The last Leeds Festival they didn’t have any piano, but on the other hand at the previous festivals [they did].

ODo you mean that I could possibly come to you up in Troldhaugen next summer? If you could have me, it would indeed be glorious. But probably you don’t mean that. And you mustn’t tire yourself by writing an answer to this question. There is no hurry at all for me to know it.

How nice (for the Germans etc) that you are going to conduct in Germany and elsewhere; I wish that I could be there and listen to it! It is lovely to think about Leeds.

4

GRIEG’S DIARYExtract from Edvard Grieg’s diary – 24 May 1906

Very nice, but I missed Johannes Wolff and the marvellous Percy Grainger, who turned pages for me at the concert and whom I love as if he were a young woman. It is a dangerous thing to be strongly admired, but when one admires in return, as I do in this case, that evens it out. I have not met anyone who understands me as he does. And he is from Australia. So what is there to this reproach by the honourable critics to the effect that my music is too Norwegian? It is stupidity and ignorance and that is all.

Extract from Edvard Grieg’s diary – 30 May 1906

And how Percy Grainger played several of them as arranged for piano! There is no Norwegian pianist at the moment who can match him, and that is significant in more ways than one. It shows that we still do not have a Norwegian pianist who has enough understanding to tackle such challenges. It also shows that if this understanding does not exist where it ought to, namely Norway, then it can be found elsewhere – yes even in Australia, where the marvellous Percy Grainger was born. In general, this harangue about having to be a Norwegian in order to understand Norwegian music, and especially to perform it, is sheer nonsense. Music that has staying power, in any case, be it ever so national, rises high above the merely national level. It is cosmopolitan.

Courtesy Bergen Public Library, The Edvard Grieg Archives

Courtesy Bergen Public Library, The Edvard Grieg Archives

5

GRIEG’S LETTERSExtract from Edvard Grieg’s letter to Percy Grainger – 30 June 1906

Dear Percy Grainger!

Thank you for your letter! Let me say it right away: I like you! I like your healthy, wholesome view of art, your unspoiled nature – which even “high life” has not been able to destroy – and also your deep feeling for the folk song and all the possibilities it carries within its bosom.

Extract from Edvard Grieg’s letter to Percy Grainger – 25 May 1907

Dear Percy Grainger!

It is unfortunately a sick man who is writing to you. I am in a lot of pain. I was feeling relatively good when I came to Copenhagen after my concerts. In order to fully restore my health, I made use there of the famous Finsen electric light baths. But I was not able to tolerate these. My nervous system got totally shattered, and now I am as low as I have been in a long time. Insomnia, breathing difficulty (asthma) and hallucinations make my life a continuous torment.

Courtesy Grainger Museum collection, University of Melbourne

Courtesy Grainger Museum collection, University of Melbourne

6

Edvard Grieg and Percy Grainger in Troldhaugen, 26 July 1907

Courtesy Bergen Public Library, The Edvard Grieg Archives

7

Music in order of appearanceTo find out more about the new album Morning Mood: Solo Piano Music of Edvard Grieg performed by Gerard Willems, visit www.abcmusic.com.au/Willems-Grieg

GRIEG Morning Mood, from Peer Gynt Suite No.1, Op.46 Gerard Willems piano From Morning Mood: Solo Piano Music of Edvard Grieg (ABC Classics 4811699)

GRIEG Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 16 Simon Tedeschi piano, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Richard Bonynge conductor From Piano Concertos: Tchaikovsky and Grieg (ABC Classics 4810117)

GRIEG Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 16 Percy Grainger piano, Albuquerque Civic Orchestra (recorded 1947) Courtesy of Barry Ould (The Grainger Estate)www.percygrainger.org

GRIEG Arietta, from Lyric Pieces Book 1, Op.12 Gerard Willems piano From Morning Mood: Solo Piano Music of Edvard Grieg (ABC Classics 4811699)

GRIEG Longing, from 23 Little Pieces, EG104 (No.2) Gerard Willems piano From Morning Mood: Solo Piano Music of Edvard Grieg (ABC Classics 4811699)

GRIEG Solveig’s Song, from Piano Pieces after Original Songs, Vol.II, Op.52 (No.4) Gerard Willems piano From Morning Mood: Solo Piano Music of Edvard Grieg (ABC Classics 4811699)

GRIEG Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 16 Simon Tedeschi piano, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Richard Bonynge conductor From Piano Concertos: Tchaikovsky and Grieg (ABC Classics 4810117)

GRIEG From Holberg’s Time, Op.40 Gerard Willems pianoFrom Morning Mood: Solo Piano Music of Edvard Grieg (ABC Classics 4811699)

GRAINGER Country Gardens Percy Grainger piano (recorded 1918) From Percy Grainger: The complete 78-rpm solo recordings 1908–1945Courtesy of Mike Spring APN (Appian Publications & Recordings)www.aprrecordings.co.uk/apr2/

LISZT Hungarian Rhapsody, No. 12 Percy Grainger piano (recorded 1929)From Percy Grainger plays Grieg & Liszt Courtesy of Dr Clark McAlister Klavier Music Productionswww.klavier-records.com/index.htm

GRAINGER Irish Tune, from County Derry Percy Grainger piano (recorded 1915) From Pleasant and Delightful Courtesy of Stuart McCarthy Undercover Music Pty Ltd www.undercovermusic.com.au

GRIEG The First Meeting, from Piano Pieces after Original Songs, Vol. II, Op. 52 (No.2)Gerard Willems pianoFrom Morning Mood: Solo Piano Music of Edvard Grieg (ABC Classics 4811699)

GRIEG Slåtter Op.72, No. 1 Torgeir Kinne Solsvik piano Courtesy of the artist www.kinnepiano.no/k/

8

GRIEG Peer Gynt Suite Op.46, No. 1 Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Sebastian Lang-Lessing conductor From Grieg: Peer Gynt Suites, Holberg Suite & Wedding at Troldhaugen (ABC Classics 4764523)

GRIEG Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 16 Simon Tedeschi piano, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Richard Bonynge conductor From Piano Concertos: Tchaikovsky and Grieg (ABC Classics 4810117)

GRIEG To Spring, from Lyric Pieces Book 3, Op.43 Gerard Willems pianoFrom Morning Mood: Solo Piano Music of Edvard Grieg (ABC Classics 4811699)

GRIEG Slåtter Op. 72, No. 12 Performed by Torgeir Kinne Solsvik. Courtesy of the artist www.kinnepiano.no/k/

GRIEG Ballade Op. 24 Percy Grainger piano (recorded 1929) From Percy Grainger plays Grieg & Liszt Courtesy of Dr Clark McAlister Klavier Music Productions www.klavier-records.com/index.htm

GRIEG Slåtter Op. 72 No.2 Torgeir Kinne Solsvik piano Courtesy of the artist www.kinnepiano.no/k/

GRIEG Peer Gynt Suite Op.46, No. 3 Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Sebastian Lang-Lessing conductorFrom Grieg: Peer Gynt Suites, Holberg Suite & Wedding at Troldhaugen (ABC Classics 4764523)

GRIEG Mountaineer’s Song, from Moods, Op.73 (No.7) Gerard Willems pianoFrom Morning Mood: Solo Piano Music of Edvard Grieg (ABC Classics 4811699)

GRIEG Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, from Lyric Pieces, Book 8, Op. 65 Gerard Willems pianoFrom Morning Mood: Solo Piano Music of Edvard Grieg (ABC Classics 4811699)

GRIEG Berceuse, from Lyric Pieces, Book 2, Op.38 Gerard Willems pianoFrom Morning Mood: Solo Piano Music of Edvard Grieg (ABC Classics 4811699)

GRAINGER Mock Morris Percy Grainger piano (recorded 1914) From Percy Grainger: The complete 78-rpm solo recordings 1908–1945Courtesy of Mike Spring APN (Appian Publications & Recordings)www.aprrecordings.co.uk/apr2/

GRIEG Menuetto from Piano Sonata Op. 7 Torgeir Kinne Solsvik piano From Robert Schumann Dichterliebe & Edvard Grieg Songs Courtesy of Torgeir Kinne Solsvik www.kinnepiano.no/k/

GRIEG Cello Sonata Op.36 Raya Garbousova cello, Arthur Balsam piano (recorded late 1940s)

GRIEG Slåtter Op.72, No. 10 Torgeir Kinne Solsvik piano Courtesy of the artist www.kinnepiano.no/k/

9

GRAINGER Shepherd’s HeyPercy Grainger piano (recorded 1914) From Percy Grainger: The complete 78-rpm solo recordings 1908–1945Courtesy of Mike Spring APN (Appian Publications & Recordings) www.aprrecordings.co.uk/apr2/

GRIEG Slåtter Op.72, No. 5 Torgeir Kinne Solsvik pianoCourtesy of the artist www.kinnepiano.no/k/

Incidental music (GRIEG Wedding Day at Troldhaugen) performed by Gerard Willems

GRIEG Peer Gynt Suite Op.55, No. 4 Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Sebastian Lang-Lessing conductorFrom Grieg: Peer Gynt Suites, Holberg Suite & Wedding at Troldhaugen (ABC Classics 4764523)

GRIEG Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 16 Simon Tedeschi piano, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Richard Bonynge conductor From Piano Concertos: Tchaikovsky and Grieg (ABC Classics 4810117)

GRIEG Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 16 Simon Tedeschi piano, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Richard Bonynge conductor From Piano Concertos: Tchaikovsky and Grieg (ABC Classics 4810117)

GRIEG The Lad and the Lass in the Cow-Shed Loft, from Improvisations on Two Norwegian Folk Songs, Op.29 (No.1) Gerard Willems pianoFrom Morning Mood: Solo Piano Music of Edvard Grieg (ABC Classics 4811699)

GRIEG Slåtter Op.72, No. 3 Torgeir Kinne Solsvik piano Courtesy of the artist www.kinnepiano.no/k/

Incidental music (GRIEG Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 16) performed by Gerard Willems

BRAHMS Sonata No. 3 in F minor Percy Grainger piano (recorded 1926) From Percy Grainger: The complete 78-rpm solo recordings 1908–1945Courtesy of Mike Spring APN (Appian Publications & Recordings) www.aprrecordings.co.uk/apr2/

Incidental music (GRIEG Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 16) performed by Gerard Willems

GRIEG Slåtter Op.72, No. 7 Torgeir Kinne Solsvik pianoCourtesy of the artistwww.kinnepiano.no/k/

Incidental music (GRIEG Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 16) performed by Gerard Willems

GRIEG Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 16 Simon Tedeschi piano, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Richard Bonynge conductor From Piano Concertos: Tchaikovsky and Grieg (ABC Classics 4810117)

GRIEG Lonely Wanderer, from Lyric Pieces, Book 3, Op. 43 Gerard Willems piano From Morning Mood: Solo Piano Music of Edvard Grieg (ABC Classics 4811699)

GRIEG The Death Of Åse, from Peer Gynt Suite No.1, Op. 46 Gerard Willems pianoFrom Morning Mood: Solo Piano Music of Edvard Grieg (ABC Classics 4811699)

10

GRIEG Funeral March for Rikard Nordraak, EG 107 Gerard Willems pianoFrom Morning Mood: Solo Piano Music of Edvard Grieg (ABC Classics 4811699)

GRIEG Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 16 Simon Tedeschi piano, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Richard Bonynge conductor From Piano Concertos: Tchaikovsky and Grieg (ABC Classics 4810117)

GRIEG Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 16 Percy Grainger piano (recorded 1929). Orchestral accompaniment edited and adapted by Percy Grainger. From Percy Grainger plays Grieg & Liszt Courtesy of Dr Clark McAlister Klavier Music Productions www.klavier-records.com/index.htm

10

Written and produced byBrendan Ward

ProducersBrendan Ward & Toby Chadd

Technical producerNeil McIntosh (Tracks Post Production, Crows Nest)

The producers wish to thank the following for their valuable assistance:Teresia Fors

Stephen R Smith Sue Scott

Astrid Britt Krautschneider Torgeir Kinne Solsvik Dr Clark McAlister

Mike Spring Stuart McCarthy

David Pear Stephen Snelleman

Letters and diary extracts are taken from the following sources:

Dreyfus, Kay (ed.) The Farthest North of Humanness: Letters of Percy Grainger 1901-14

(Macmillan, Melbourne, 1985)

Benestad, Finn and Halverson, William H. (eds. and trans.) Edvard Grieg: Diaries, Articles, Speeches (Peer Gynt Press, Columbus, Ohio, 2001)

Benestad, Finn (ed.)Edvard Grieg: Letters to Colleagues and Friends

(Halverson, William H., trans.) (Peer Gynt Press, Columbus, Ohio, 2000)

Finck, Henry T. Grieg and His Music

(John Lane Company, New York, 1910)

Carley, LionelEdvard Grieg in England

(Boydell Press, Woodbridge, 2006)

PRINCIPAL SPONSOR

www.vikingcruises.com.au