Peer Gynt

The "Peer Gynt" suite is a rare example of music becoming more famous than the drama it illustrates. Neither Edvard Grieg, the composer, nor the renowned Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, likely anticipated this when he commissioned Grieg to compose music for selected scenes from his play. Grieg created two suites from the best pieces, which have been widely transcribed and adapted, including for choreography. One of the most famous sections is "In the Mountains of Madness" – a fantastic depiction from Norse legends, in which the protagonist encounters the titular character during his journey. The continuous repetition of a short theme that gradually thickens and intensifies creates a remarkably effective whole, reminiscent of Ravel's "Boléro." Peer Gynt himself is not a positive character: he is an egoistic dreamer who does not appreciate Solvej's pure love. In Grieg's suite, Peer Gynt is a spoken role (often omitted altogether), which allows the listener to understand the context of the events. The role will be performed by the excellent actor Jan Peszek, who has played roles in productions by prominent theatre directors (including Kazimierz Dejmek, Krystian Lupa, and Grzegorz Jarzyna), as well as in films (including Feliks Falk – "There Was Jazz," Jerzy Skolimowski – "Ferdydurke," and Kazimierz Kutz – "Death Like a Slice of Bread").