Edvard Grieg - Symphonic Dances, Op. 64 (1897)

Edvard Hagerup Grieg (15 June 1843 – 4 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use and development of Norwegian folk music in his own compositions brought the music of Norway to international consciousness, as well as helping to develop a national identity, much as Jean Sibelius and Bedřich Smetana did in Finland and Bohemia, respectively.

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Symphonic Dances, Op. 64 (1897)

Dance No. 1, G major, Allegro moderato e marcato (0:00)
Dance No. 2, A major, Allegretto grazioso (5:37)
Dance No. 3, D major, Allegro giocoso (12:02)
Dance No. 4, A minor, Andante - Allegro risoluto (18:38)

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Paavo Berglund

The four Symphonic Dances Op. 64 were written c. 1896 and published in 1897.

They draw their inspiration from the earlier folk works collected by Ludvig Mathias Lindeman. These pieces have become known latterly by being associated with the TV adaptations of E. Nesbit's book "The Railway Children", published in 1906 and thus almost contemporaneous with Grieg's music. The first two series were shown by the BBC in 1951 and 1957 and Grieg's music was used in both, with some scenes from the first series being re-used for the second. However, the best known was the third series, shown in 1968, which featured the actress Jenny Agutter as the eldest of the three children of the title. Again, remarkably, the same music was used, and the most famously known piece was the slower and beautifully melodic excerpt from the second dance: in fact, this piece was only used as the closing theme, perfectly suiting the poignancy of the emotionally moving story lines. The opening music was actually another excerpt, this time with a brighter piece taken from the fourth dance, cleverly chosen to introduce the programs with a somewhat lighter mood, which subtly intertwines harmonic content from the other extract, hinting at the darker side of what is, at times, a rather sad tale of children separated from their father, perhaps associated with Nesbit having lost her father just before she reached the age of four. The fact that the music was itself adapted from folk tunes may explain the deep resonances which are struck by the use of the Grieg music in this universal and touching story.