Grieg - Holberg Suite, Op. 40 - Part 1/5

Holberg Suite, Op. 40 (From Holberg's Time: Suite in the Olden Style)

I. Prelude
II. Sarabande
III. Gavotte
IV. Air
V. Rigaudon

Composer: Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Orchestra: Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Ole Kristian Ruud

From Holberg's Time. Suite in the Olden Style, Op. 40, was written for the bicentenary Year of Ludvig Holberg's birth. Ludvig Holberg (1684 -1754) was born in Bergen, and became Professor in Metaphysics, Latin, Literature and History, at the University in Copenhagen. But he is most famous, both today and during Grieg's time, for writing Comedy, and he is recognized as one of the most important personalities in the Danish-Norwegian joint Literature. The Suite was finished in August 1884, and the 7th of December it was performed for the very first time in Bergen. Grieg chose the French baroque dance suite as the music base. But he has put his own personal stamp on the separate movements, so there isn't the slightest amount of doubt that this is Grieg, in French seventeenth century costume.

Grieg's popular Holberg Suite was originally written for the piano, and later arranged by the composer for string orchestra.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edvard_Grieg