Grieg, Edvard Hagerup.
Chapter 6. Opera
His ambition to produce a great genuine national opera only got as far as arranging the music for Ibsen's "The Vikings of Helgeland". Unlike the co-operation each had given for the play with music "Peer Gynt", an unfortunate disagreement between the two left the opera unwritten.
The nearest he got to writing opera music was "Sigurd Jorsalfar" (Sigurd the Crusader), Opus 56, (1872). It was initially commissioned as incidental music for a Bjornstjerne Bjornson's play. This portrayed the drama and emotions of the heroic Viking era, and illustrates Grieg's love of his own rich, colourful heritage. He does this with soloists, choral and full orchestra, and, as he did with the incidental music for Ibsen's "Peer Gynt", he arranged it into 3 orchestral suites 20 years later.
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