There is a particular satisfaction in watching a pianist see a long project through to the end. Recording cycles are marathons of patience, and the finish line rarely arrives with fanfare. So I was glad to learn that Peter Donohoe has now closed the circle on his survey of Grieg's Lyric Pieces for Chandos, a journey that began several years ago and has finally reached its destination.
Completing the set
The new release is Volume 2, issued as a double album on the Chandos label. Following his previous volume, this double-album presents the remaining 39 pieces alongside the Ballade, Op. 24, which means the two instalments together account for all 66 of these miniatures that Grieg wrote and published across his lifetime.
What I find quietly clever about the way Donohoe has structured this is that he did not simply march through the pieces in order. Rather than plough through the pieces sequentially, he chose a variety of works so that each volume stands on its own as a listenable recital. Anyone who has sat down with the complete Lyric Pieces knows how uneven a straight run-through can feel. Grieg wrote these across decades, and hearing them shuffled into a considered sequence is far kinder to the ear.
Grieg the miniaturist
Part of what makes this project worthwhile is the repertoire itself. Grieg wrote for the piano throughout his career but turned away from the German sonata in favour of miniatures, which he named Lyriske stykker, the Lyric Pieces. These are the pieces so many of us met early on: a folk-tinged dance here, a whisper of a berceuse there, and of course the beloved Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, which almost every young pianist reaches for.
The great addition on this second volume is the Ballade, Op. 24, a substantial theme-and-variations that sits worlds apart from the salon charm of the smaller pieces. It is one of Grieg's most searching works, written in a period of personal grief, and pairing it with the miniatures gives the set real emotional weight rather than leaving it as a pretty anthology.
A pianist worth trusting here
Donohoe is an interesting choice for this music. He has been known mostly for recordings of twentieth-century English repertoire, but he saw an opening for a Grieg cycle that ran counter to the sentimental readings that have long dominated. That instinct pays off. His playing tends toward clarity and structure rather than perfume, and for a composer too often smothered in wistfulness, that is a gift.
Critics have noticed. One writer in Musical Opinion went so far as to say he could not imagine a living pianist capable of improving upon Donohoe's artistry, which is high praise even allowing for the enthusiasm of the moment. Some listeners raised on a warmer, more indulgent Grieg may find him cool, but I suspect many will hear these pieces afresh.
Why it matters to me
As a pianist who lives with this kind of small-scale, intimate writing, I am drawn to what a complete cycle teaches us. The Lyric Pieces are where Grieg kept a private diary at the keyboard, and playing them well asks for restraint, colour and an honest sense of song. They are also perfect recital material, the sort of pieces I love to weave between larger works to let an audience breathe.
If this release tempts you back toward Grieg, I would love to share that world with you in person. My recitals and chamber programmes often make room for exactly this repertoire of songful miniatures and the quieter corners of the piano literature. You can explore upcoming concerts, or enquire about booking a performance, at yinghopiano.com.
For now, Donohoe's completed Grieg is a fine reminder that patience in the recording studio has its rewards, and that even the most familiar small pieces still have things to say when a serious musician takes them seriously.
