Grieg Piano Concerto

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Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor is a shining example of Edvard Grieg’s excellence and why he’s considered highly for his influence during the Romantic period. In the same breath, Arthur Rubinstein’s interpretation should be similarly lauded for a wonderful arrangement of said piece. It is performed in an active B theme, with a rhythm of 4/4. The harmony is in A minor and C major, proven homophonic and in sonata allegro form. The tempo remains fast and steady with elongated notes, and has a dramatic dynamic. The refrain also reuses the B theme. The timbre is mostly tense here, but it can vary on the theme of the concerto. Along with that, the instrumentation contains a combination of an emphasis on strings, woodwinds, and occasionally …show more content…

The serene aspect especially shows during the A theme, within its introductory and recap it remains as a calm before and after the storm. The orchestral performance here is excellent, and brings out a solemn prelude for the pianist Arthur Rubinstein to take center stage. Rubinstein’s arrangement is lush and masterfully performed, as he seamlessly posits emotion and fully displays his importance through reenacting the A theme. The orchestra begins to subtly harmonize alongside Rubinstein during an interlude between the A and B themes in a double exposition form, while still remaining in the A theme. Rubinstein exhibits tension during this as his performance briefly switches to an almost frantic and anxious pace. Rubinstein’s frantic playing is quickly overwhelmed afterwards as the string instrumentation soon swells and explodes into a vibrant resolution to the …show more content…

During the large climax of this development, Rubinstein’s seamlessly falls back into a similar chord progression from the A theme. Despite this similarity, his performance is even more anxious and fast-paced, and seems to duet alongside the booming and triumphant brass instrumentation. Afterwards, the string and woodwind instrumentation set an ambiance as the concerto moves towards recapping the A theme and piano interlude. However, the chords during the climax of said piano interlude are swapped from a C major to an A major, as it transitions to a more melancholic recap of the B

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