What is the story behind the Peer Gynt Suite?

Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg (1843–1907) wrote some of our most popular pieces here on 8notes, including Morning Mood, In the Hall of the Mountain King and Death of Åse. Whilst these pieces are often performed alone, they are actually all from one work, a set of incidental music for performances of Henrik Ibsen’s play, Peer Gynt. Grieg later turned these pieces into two suites, known as Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 and Peer Gynt Suite No. 2, Op. 55. Nowadays these are among the composer’s most beloved works.

Henrik Ibsen’s Play

Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen wrote Peer Gynt whilst in Italy in 1867, the first edition of the work selling out in just a fortnight. The play is written in poetry and tells the story of Peer Gynt, a brash, boastful young man from Norway who embarks on a fantastic adventure from his native land to the deserts of Morocco and back. It blends fantasy, satire, and social commentary whilst exploring themes of identity, ambition, and self-deception.

Grieg’s Involvement

In 1874 Ibsen approached Grieg, who was already a well-known composer in Norway, to write incidental music for the first stage performance of the play. Grieg only reluctantly agreed, sensing that the unwieldy and epic nature of the play would make composing music for it difficult. His fears were confirmed during the work’s composition, writing to a friend in August 1874:

"Peer Gynt" progresses slowly, and there is no possibility of having it finished by autumn. It is a terribly unmanageable subject.

Grieg eventually finished the music in 1875, with the play and incidental music being premiered in Kristiania (now Oslo) on 24th February 1876.

The Incidental Music

The score contains 26 movements, including several song and choral pieces, all of which were intended to accompany the play’s various scenes. Over time, however, not every piece from the incidental music was used and eventually Grieg decided to extract what he considered the best movements to form two orchestral suites: Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 and Peer Gynt Suite No. 2, Op. 55.

Nowadays the complete incidental music is very rarely played. Indeed, the complete score was considered lost until the 1980s, after which it experienced a modest revival.

The Suites

Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46

A four movement suite that contains some of the most famous music from Peer Gynt:
1.Morning Mood (Morgenstemning): A serene moment from the play’s 4th act depicting a beautiful morning in the desert of North Africa. Nowadays it is frequently used in popular culture to depict the beauty of a sunrise or the start of a new day.
2.Death of Åse (Åses død): A sombre movement depicting the death of Peer Gynt’s mother.
3. Anitra’s Dance: Where Peer tries to woo Anitra, the daughter of a Bedouin chief in North Africa.
4. In the Hall of the Mountain King (I Dovregubbens hall): Perhaps the most famous movement from the work, played as Peer enters Mountain King’s Hall, which is full of trolls, gnomes and goblins.

In the Hall of the Mountain King (Seattle Symphony Orchestra):

Peer Gynt Suite No. 2, Op. 55

Less performed than the first suite, it nevertheless contains some ravishing music:
1. The Abduction of the Bride (Ingrid’s Lament): This movement reflects the chaotic and desperate mood after Peer kidnaps Ingrid, a bride, on her wedding day, a reckless act that sets the tone for much of his later misadventures.
2. Arabian Dance: A movement that captures the exotic flavour of Peer’s travels in the Arabian lands of Africa.
3. Peer Gynt’s Homecoming (Stormy Evening on the Sea): Depicts Peer’s stormy sea journey and his inner turmoil as he returns to Norway after years of travel.
4. Solveig’s Song: A beautiful and melancholic piece representing Peer’s lover, who has waited for him for many years.

Solveig's song (Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France):

Lasting Cultural Impact

Nowadays Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suites, particularly No. 1, are his best known and most played works. Several movements from them have made their way into popular culture. Chief of these is ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’ which has been covered by The Who; used in movies from the birth of sound cinema (M, 1931) to the present day (The Social Network, 2010); in computer games such as Sonic the Hedgehog; and even as an accompaniment to rides at the British theme park, Alton Towers.

‘Morning Mood’ has also been widely used, including in a cover by American rock group Jay and the Americans, in the film Soylent Green (1973) and in the Simpsons, Family Guy and Big Bang Theory; and in the trailer for the video game League of Legends.