THE GRIEG CONCERTO

New Zealand Listener, Volume 32, Issue 819, 7 April 1955, Page 20

THE GRIEG CONCERTO

HE Grieg piano concerto makes a welcome reappearance at the Wellington Youth Concert on April 16 (2YC). Although Grieg’s one major excursion into ‘the symphonic field must figure near the top of the popularity poll for piano concertos, it’s quite a while, if memory serves right, since we had it with the Orchestra. The Grieg gains its popularity from quite different sources to the titans of the concerto field like, say, the Tchaikovski in B Flat Minor. Grieg makes no battle royal between soloist and orchestra, although the piano has plenty to do -and real piano writing, too-and the orchestra is far more than a camp follower. It is, indeed, the happy balance between the two partners and the admirable mixture of poetry and virtuosity that gives the work its charm. _ Two sides of the composer’s character come out in the concerto. There is Grieg the pianist-and a very good pianist he was,. too-and Grieg the Norwegian tone-poet, the miniaturist. Every pianist has his own ideas on which of these two facets should stand out. { ‘There used to be a recording of the concerto-a very pre-electric one-by

Arthur de Greef, who was said to have studied the "work with Grieg himself. De Greef lovingly brought out all the subtleties of the poetic first theme and that attractive tune which follows the scherzoesque second theme. His slow movement was a masterpiece. While he was by no means neglectful of the brilliance that lies in the music, the general impression was as if one of Grieg’s delightful small piano pieces had been gloriously enlarged. Another recording by Backhaus, now probably unhappily gone the way of so many good recordings of the "78" era, was quite a different picture. Backhaus announced his first theme a little as he might the opening of a Beethoven concerto, not in any way perfunctorily but rather as a prelude to the» exciting moments to come. He gave the music majesty and spaciousness. The ability to be transformed without losing its essential character is one of the qualities of great music. And so, when Janetta McStay plays the Grieg Concerto on April 16, it will not be just hearing the work again. We. will be en-

joying it anew.

Owen

Jensen