In these settings of Henrik Ibsen's only collection of poetry, Grieg demonstrates a fine intuitive grasp of the great playwright's themes and preoccupations. Primarily a lyricist, Grieg responded intuitively to Ibsen's melancholy, somewhat hermetic, poems about love, death, nature, and the mysteries of destiny. Straightforward and expressive, Grieg's melodies spring forth, supported by spontaneous, fresh harmonies, which often introduce surprising shadings of color. Ibsen's short poems, particularly, the enigmatic "Swan," find a convincing musical counterpart in Grieg's imaginative rendition of the text. According to a story, Ibsen's poem is inspired by a legend of the swan, who, following a lifetime of silence, finds his voice as death approaches, and finally reveals his hidden love. As the music moves from a dramatic climax, representing the swan's declaration of love to a repetition of the opening statement, Grieg uses a new, distant tonality in an effort to describe the mysterious realm of death.

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2.En svane ('A Swan')

This song also exists in a version with orchestral accompaniment, but most listeners will prefer the voice and piano original, with its more subdued sonorities and intimate nature of the music. The text is by another famous Norwegian, Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906), known primarily as a dramatist. This poem was published in an 1871 collection, the writer's only volume of poetry. A Swan is one of Grieg's more popular efforts in the vocal genre, and it is easy to see why. It opens with a slow, lovely melody in the vocal line, with gentle, sparing accompaniment from the piano. The music at the outset would seem to promise a dreamy, lovely pastoral mood, undisturbed throughout. But the music turns stormy in the middle section, erupting in what, by contrast, sounds almost violent in the singer's cries and piano's dissonant chords. The music returns to the tranquil mood from the opening, but is darker now and conveys an almost desolate sense. This is a masterful song from Grieg, brimming with colorful atmosphere and thematic beauty.

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