Initiating the arrangment is Neuchâtel’s cantonal academy of music, that decided to pay a tribute to Edvard Grieg, by organising  three days of concerts, and from the organizers we got the following description:

 

"The festival will offer to listeners an anthology of Grieg's works without a great orchestral set up: chamber music, melodies for soprano and piano, choral music and some pieces for string orchestra, as well as  piano solo.

 

The event will be brought to an end by the complete version of the incidental music inspired by Ibsen’s play  Peer Gynt. Excerpts of the text will be read in French.

The music academy of Neuchâtel wishes to fulfil its vocation by making the general public more familiar with works not yet well known (to the exception of some pieces) in our part of the world. As an institution, the music academy of Neuchâtel plays its role of teaching, of passing on knowledge as well as of spreading  vivid music in town.
This project also aims at enhancing the cohesion amongst the academy’s students. The pedagogical  interest of this event lies in the gathering of various professional classes of the academy, along with some members of the school of music, and professional musicians, be they teachers or not.

The aim is not only to make the works of Grieg more famous amongst the students, but also to introduce them more widely to the world of Scandinavian composers. The latter are rarely included in the studies, considering the huge scope of History of music.

Collaborations

Two additional collaborations will give complementary dimensions to this event and will allow the creation of bonds with other cultural institutions.

First, the Art and History Museum of Neuchâtel will participate in the event by organising a conference to develop listeners’  understanding of both the world of Grieg and the Scandinavian world at the end of the 19th century: Regards croisés sur Peer Gynt de Ibsen, questionnement sur l’identité norvégienne et pièce ini-tiatique  (Comparative views on Peer Gynt by Ibsen, inquiry into Norwegian identity and initiating piece of music) by Sylvain Briens, PhD in Scandinavian literature, and Gilles Landini, musician.

Secondly, the Palais Du Peyrou  will set up an evening performance providing an opportunity to appreciate Norwegian gastronomy as well as its music.

School involvement

A performance intended  for schools is planned. It will associate Secondary schools, Lycées and Vocational schools of  Neuchâtel. The complete version of Ibsen’s Peer Gynt will be played, with a narrator reading in French.
 

For information about the programme and performers, go to this webpage.