Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra / Krzysztof Urbański

Edvard Grieg, who was born in the Norwegian city of Bergen in 1843, went to study at the Leipziger Konservatorium at the tender age of 15. He was already familiar with some of Schumann’s works before leaving his home city, and after arriving in Leipzig, Grieg became a huge admirer of the »Träumerei« composer. During his time in Leipzig, Grieg copied the whole first movement of Schumann’s Piano Concerto by hand. In 1868/69 he composed his own Piano Concerto in A minor: Schumann is clearly a model, but the incorporation of Norwegian dances gives the work a Nordic flavour. Anna Vinnitskaya and Krzysztof Urbański, both of whom have won the SHMF’s Leonard Bernstein Award, interpret the piece at this year’s Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival.