Norwegian Peasant Dances [Slåtter] op. 72 – Grieg

Edvard Grieg used Norwegian folk music to help him develop his own Nordic tonal language, and this often gives his music a folk-like character. His “Peasant Dances” (“Slåtter”) op. 72 for piano first appeared in 1903. These pianistically rather demanding transcriptions of dances from a collection by Johan Halvorsen bear titles such as “John Wästaf’s Springing Dance”, “Bridal March from Telemark”, and “The Maiden from the Kivletal”. For pianists who want to become acquainted with folk-inspired Norwegian music other than Grieg’s well-known “Lyrical Pieces” or the “Norwegian Dances” op. 35, these sixteen tunes are highly recommended.