Holberg Suite, Op. 40 (1884)
Lyric Pieces, Book 7, Op. 62 (1895)
Ballade in the form of variations on a Norwegian melody in G minor, Op. 24 (1875/6)
Lyric Pieces, Book 3, Op. 43 (1886)

Unlike many other composers of works for the piano whose focus was on the Sonata form, which requires the use of your brain's left hemisphere to follow its structural logic, the piano pieces of Edvard Grieg (1843-1907), most of which are miniature tone pictures, require the use of your brain's right hemisphere to process their imaginative imagery and expressive character. Grieg composed only one Piano Sonata in his early twenties and never revisited the form, most likely a confinement on his creative nature.

The Holberg Suite (From Holberg's Time "Suite in old style"), takes its name from poet and philosopher Ludvig Holberg (1684-1754), and despite the use of Baroque period stylistic terms like Sarabande and Gavotte, still manages to evoke Nordic legend and lore. It's commonly heard in Grieg's own adaptation for orchestra, but here it's performed in its original setting for piano. Russian pianist Andrey Gugnin's fluid and highly articulate touch brings out all of the finer details within its Praeludium opening segment, as well as the profound sorrow and melancholy intrinsic to its Air: Andante religioso fourth movement.

And who can dismiss Grieg's set of 66 short Lyric Pieces as mere trifles. Published over a series of 10 books spanning a period of 35 years, they are a portal, a gateway, into Grieg's creative life. Each and every one of them evoke a sentiment, a memory, a place and time in the composer's life and in an unpretentious way, convey these snapshots, these private moments, to the listener. Here, Andrey Gugnin presents a set of twelve from books 3 and 7, with titles like Brooklet, Phantom, Solitary traveller, ... and solicits from them the precise mood or tone intended by the composer.