Holberg Suite, Op. 40

Grieg wrote this five-movement suite of Baroque-style dances in 1884 to mark the 200th anniversary of playwright Ludvig Holberg's birth, subtitling it 'Suite in Olden Style'. He first wrote it for solo piano, then arranged it for string orchestra the following year, the version now heard in concert. The Praeludium opens with a driving dactylic rhythm (a long note followed by two short ones, repeated insistently), then gives way to a lyrical melody in the upper strings, before the suite moves through a slow Sarabande, a crisp Gavotte, a songlike Air, and a bright closing Rigaudon.

What to listen for

In the third movement, the Gavotte gives way to a contrasting middle section called a Musette: the lower strings hold sustained open fifths (two notes a fifth apart, played without vibrato) to imitate a bagpipe drone, while a simple melody floats above. In the fourth movement, the Air, the texture thins and the harmony shifts to minor, with a long, arching melody carried by the upper strings over a quiet accompaniment.

Recommended rendition

Sir Neville Marriner with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields has been frequently cited for its clarity and idiomatic energy in this repertoire.

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