Edvard Grieg: What Price Immortality?

Norway's most famous composer is the subject of Thomas Olofsson's unconventional music documentary. Although it periodically features fictional ruminations by Grieg (spoken in this English version, rather affectedly, by Sir Derek Jacobi), the film consists mostly of silent dramatizations of moments from Grieg's life, accompanied by performances of two of his works, the Ballade for Piano in G Minor (Op. 24) and the String Quartet No. 1 in G Minor (Op. 27), which are characterized as being among his most personal pieces—or, as the figure of Grieg here describes them, as “coming from the heart.” The overall effect is an oddly disjointed biography that emphasizes a turbulent, tormented disposition at odds with the sunny character of most of his compositions, while also detailing the personal sacrifices he made to achieve renown. Some gorgeous landscape footage is juxtaposed with video clips of the amateurish biographical episodes, ranging from Grieg's student years through his fame as an international celebrity, along with shots of pianist Staffan Scheja and the Auryn Quartet playing his music in period dress. The musical performances are actually quite good, but are—like the dramatizations—presented in fragments, undermining their effectiveness. Optional. (F. Swietek)