Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16

Edvard Grieg's Concerto in A Minor is the only concertante work by the Norwegian master. In composing this concerto, Grieg brought into play several elements making it a true masterpiece of the piano repertoire, and one that would be a resounding success from the moment of its premiere in 1869. First of all, its theme: love! When he imagined this work, the composer was 25 years old and one year beforehand, he had married the opera singer Nina Hagerup who had just given birth to their daughter, Alexandra (who unfortunately died some time after the concerto's premiere). It was a young man in love who set about composing this score, and he also drew inspiration from Norwegian folk music. The result is a passionate, playful work, full of contrast which wonderfully describes love in all its forms. With its key of A Minor, Grieg's Piano Concerto is reminiscent of another pillar of the piano repertoire: Schumann's Concerto. Discover this masterpiece on medici.tv, performed by talented artists including Evgeny Kissin with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Sir Simon Rattle, Alexandre Theraud with the Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg and Aziz Shokhakimov and Samson François in a magnificent archieve film from 1967.