Edvard Grieg composed this delightful piece, "Wedding Day at Troldhaugen" ("Bryllupsdag på Troldhaugen) in honor of his 25th wedding anniversary in 1896. It is from his Lyric Pieces, Op. 65, No.6.
Notes from pianist Dr. Duane Hulbert: "I'm pleased to present this wonderful piece of classical 'folk music' by Edvard Grieg, undoubtedly Norway's most famous classical composer.
At (0:01), listen for the drum-like rhythm in the opening measures. Throughout the piece, these rhythms occur, while the open 5ths predominate the harmonic structure. The quiet opening suggests the image of a bridal party slowly approaching from a distance.
At (0:47), listen for the impish troll-like sounds in the right hand!
At (1:06), a long off-beat rhythm between the hands begins quietly, then builds to a climax at (1:42). Here, the opening theme is heard in the upper range of the piano, where Grieg writes a fortississimo dynamic that is accompanied by rollicking groups of 16ths, quintuplets and sextuplets in the left hand.
Suddenly a quiet, delicate melody appears at (2:02) in an almost religious way ...possibly the wedding vows?
A recapitulation of the raucous opening theme returns at (4:29).
The complicated off-beat 16th patterns return at (5:32.)
A chain of big chords reintroduces the grand wedding march at (6:09).
The jagged off-beat rhythms return at (7:11).
Gradually the music gets softer and softer at (6:27). Is the party over?
No, Grieg throws in one more surprise: a big boisterous fortississimo chord on the last chord at (7:00)!
Grieg's Wedding Day at Troldhaugen is of moderate difficulty for pianists...with the exception of the two challenging off-beat passages at (1:06-1:33) and again at (5:32-6:00), and then one last time in the coda section from (6:27) to (6:42).
Keep in mind that the melody is found in the off-beat rhythms. The melody needs to be clearly heard without any rhythmic "dragging." It's actually quite fun, once you get used to it!"
Dr. Hulbert received his BA and MM from The Juilliard School of Music and his DMA from The Manhattan School of Music. Hulbert received the Gold Medal at the 1980 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, and also won prizes in the 1981 Leeds Competition and 1985 Carnegie Hall International American Music Competition. He has performed as a soloist with symphonies across the United States and has given recitals at Merkin Hall in New York, Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and Benaroya Hall in Seattle. In 2002, his recording of the piano works of late-romantic Russian composer Alexander Glazunov was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Solo Instrumental Recording. David Hurwitz of ClassicsToday.com called the CD “a production that makes the best possible case for this really excellent but sadly neglected repertoire.” Dr. Hulbert taught at the university level for over thirty years.
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