The only concerto Edvard Grieg ever finished

Music · Published 30 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: At just 24 years old, Edvard Grieg composed a masterpiece that became one of the most popular piano concertos in history. While he worked on a second piece, it remained unfinished sketches—making this single work his definitive statement on the genre and a cornerstone of Norwegian musical identity.

Composed in 1868 while Grieg was staying in Søllerød, Denmark, to enjoy a milder climate, the Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16, is steeped in Norwegian heritage. The opening flourish utilizes melodic intervals characteristic of native folk music, and the third movement incorporates rhythms from the Halling dance alongside imitations of the Hardanger fiddle. These elements helped establish Grieg's signature style, blending regional identity with classical structure.

The work bears a striking resemblance to Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto. Both pieces share the same key, similar opening descending piano flourishes, and an overall stylistic kinship. This connection is no coincidence; Grieg was taught by a friend of Schumann and had heard Clara Schumann perform the latter's concerto in Leipzig in 1858. Despite these influences, Grieg’s work stood out for its unique orchestration, which includes a specific array of woodwinds, brass (including four horns), and strings.

The piece underwent significant evolution before reaching its final form. Grieg revised the score at least seven times, making over 300 changes to the original orchestration. Notably, he rejected a suggestion from Franz Liszt to assign certain themes to the trumpet instead of the cello. The version that achieved global fame was only completed a few weeks before Grieg's death. Its legacy is immense: it was the first piano concerto ever recorded in 1909 and has since permeated pop culture, appearing in films like Intermezzo, Broadway musicals, and even the soundtrack for Civilization V.

While Grieg left behind sketches for a second concerto in B minor during the early 1880s, these remained incomplete until modern composers began 're-imagining' them. In 2003, Laurent Beeckmans premiered a full elaboration of those sketches in London, while other international composers have produced various fantasies and concertos based on Grieg’s unfinished notes.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?

Related

• Why Edvard Grieg’s most famous masterpiece began as a reluctant, patchwork theatrical chore
• Grieg said his most famous tune reeked of cow dung and troll smugness
• Johannes Brahms turned his youthful struggle in dockside taverns into his most profitable music.
• Lisztomania was the prototype of modern music stardom
• How a 19th-century piano cycle mapped the geography of the human soul
• How a failed symphony and a hypnotist birthed a masterpiece of classical music
• Your headphone jack began life on a nineteenth-century telephone switchboard
• Why Rachmaninoff’s most daunting piano concerto was practiced on a silent keyboard
• Phil Spector turned the record producer into the star behind the hits
• Why Beethoven's Fifth Piano Concerto has nothing to do with any actual emperor
• Why a Russian puppet’s tragic death continues to haunt the modern stage
• Mozart’s famous Turkish March was a deliberate attempt to mock a foreign culture

More in Music · More in Music · Latest · A–Z · All topics