Edvard Grieg: The Death of Åse (1875)

Peer before the King of the Trolls.

1936 illustration by Arthur Rackham (1867-1939).

Those who are immersed in deep thoughts stumble easily. So says Ibsen in Peer Gynt. Pity the wistful philosopher. Pity more the unwitting victim of rumination; those drawn into their deepest candlelit and solitary chamber by accident of fortune or artifice. It is for such souls that Grieg’s Åses død was made.

The Death of Åse is a strings lament which rakes at the soul like tortuous winds. It suppurates with melancholy and menace. To allow it in, is to “war with trolls in heart and soul” and go hand in hand with the funereal into oblivion.

“So unspeakably poor can a soul then return

to nothingness in the misty gray.

You lovely earth, do not be angry

that I trampled your grass to no avail.

You lovely sun, you have squandered

your shining sprinkles in an empty cabin.”

~ Peer Gynt: Henrik Ibsen ~

It was in this unwitting state I attended the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester on 2nd December 2021. Emerging bleary-eyed from the isolation of pandemic, and complying with bag checks, mask-wearing and social distancing, we cringed at every stray cough amplified in the auditorium. The evening was entitled Finlandia, a celebration of Scandinavia at the threshold of the winter solstice. The rainswept darkness of the evening was beautiful and totally enveloping.

Edvard Grieg: The Death of Åse (1875)

Finlandia, a selection of Scandinavian repertoire was meticulously performed by students of the Royal Northern College of Music, and included:

Sibelius - Finlandia
Grieg - Piano Concerto
Alfvén - Swedish Rhapsody No.1, ‘Midsummer Vigil’
Sibelius - Valse triste
Christine Hals - Calling the Aurora (Northern Lights Kulning)
Grieg - Peer Gynt Suite: selection

To quote the Bridgewater Hall:

Perfect for winter, this concert celebrates the mystery and beauty of the far North. Two of the most famous pieces by Norwegian Edvard Grieg feature: his musical tableaux for Peer Gynt and his stunning Piano Concerto, with its beautiful central Adagio, which will be performed by BBC New Generation Artist and Terence Judd-Hallé Award recipient, pianist Elisabeth Brauß. Film composer and vocalist Christine Hals, known for her Scandinavian herding call in Disney’s Frozen, brings the unique sound to her ‘Calling the Aurora’. Hugo Alfvén contributes his light-hearted Midsummer Vigil, a symphonic rhapsody that gets right to the heart of his homeland’s folk music, whilst Sibelius is represented by his haunting and melancholy Valse triste and his stirring tribute to his homeland, Finlandia.

Haunting indeed.