Just as “Hamlet” belongs to the English literary legacy or Goethe’s “Faust” belongs to the German soul, so Henrik Ibsen’s “Peer Gynt” belongs to the Norwegian culture. Exactly 150 years ago, Henrik Ibsen asked the then 31-year-old composer Edvard Grieg to write a suitable musical setting for his dramatic poem in five acts. The premiere took place in Oslo in 1876 and it can certainly be said that Grieg’s musical accompaniment contributed significantly to the popularity and lasting success of “Peer Gynt.
” Grieg later compiled two concert suites based on the incidental music, which have been a staple of concert programs ever since. Ibsen began work on “Peer Gynt” in 1867, while he was living in exile in Italy, and it was the result of his own artistic impulses and his involvement with Norwegian culture and mythology. The plot is based on Norwegian folklore and is an early work, a poem in verse form.
Ibsen wrote it to be read, not necessarily staged. It runs on and on – through Peer’s life from youth to old age. The stories are dreamlike, sometimes surreal and fantastical, such as his struggle with a bear in the mountains, delivered by Peer in long monologues, supported by some minor roles, counterpointed to drive the plot forward.
Then, in a surprising twist in the second part, Peer surprises the audience with philosophical discussions about the follies of European colonialism. There are scenes of tenderness, a bit of vaudeville, sudden bursts of do.
