Two elegiac melodies

Edvard Grieg's "Two Elegiac Melodies" op. 34 were composed in 1880 as arrangements of his own songs for string orchestra and rank among the most moving examples of Nordic Romanticism. The two movements "Heart Wounds" and "Last Spring" breathe that melancholic fundamental mood which gives Grieg's work its unmistakable character. In the reduced scoring for strings, an intimate musical language of great emotional depth unfolds.

The Norwegian composer combines in these miniatures his characteristic harmonic language with folk music elements from his homeland. As in many of his works, romantic expressive intensity and Nordic connection to nature merge into a distinctive sound world. The elegiac melodies are distinguished by their lyrical melodic lines and subtle harmonic turns that are typical of Grieg's mature style.

The work stands as an exemplar of Scandinavian national Romanticism and is considered one of the most successful examples of Grieg's art of orchestral arrangement. The "Two Elegiac Melodies" have established themselves as a popular repertoire piece for string orchestra and are frequently performed as a unit or individually.