In the Hall of the Mountain King, Op. 46 No. 4, piano arrangement

History

Grieg wrote music for Henrik Ibsen's Peer Gynt after Ibsen invited him in 1874. 'In the Hall of the Mountain King' belongs to that stage score. Here it is heard in a piano arrangement credited by Mutopia to Grieg himself, rather than in its original orchestration.

Sources

• bergenphilive.no
• mutopiaproject.org

What to listen for

1. 1

   A held low octave prepares the march

   The low introduction includes held punctuation before the staccato march begins. Hear that preparation without stopping at the first fermata.

2. 2

   Higher recalls thicken the texture

   Written recalls move higher and gain chords, an inner strand and more active lower figures. Hear the familiar contour through the fuller sound.

3. 3

   Dense chordal recalls exchange registers

   Fuller chordal repetitions lead through tighter register exchanges. Follow their growing direction rather than hearing each repetition as a fresh start.

4. 4

   Rests leave room for a lower tremolo

   The interrupted ending includes upper rests while the lower tremolo continues. Listen beneath the gaps before the final accented response.

How to practise it

Long opening before short-note motion; different lengths in the low pattern.

1. Listen for the release of the opening pair, then sing the rising low-register steps before playing the moving figure. Do not fill the observed separation automatically.
2. Isolate the first moving pattern and compare the short moving notes with the longer low attacks, rather than cutting or holding both layers identically.

How hard is it

About this piece

Licence

Public Domain

Source

mutopiaproject.org

More by Edvard Grieg

1. 1Arietta, Lyric Pieces Op. 12 No. 1Level 5, estimatedWith Maestro
2. 2Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, Op. 65 No. 6Level 8, estimatedWith Maestro
3. 3Troldtog (March of the Dwarfs)Level 8, estimatedWith Maestro