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| A moment of rural stillness reflecting the dreamlike calm of Borghild’s Dream from Grieg’s Sigurd Jorsalfar. |
The work evokes the drama, conflict, and emotional intensity of the Viking age, serving as a musical expression of Grieg’s profound attachment to Norway’s heroic past and cultural identity.
The complete stage work premiered in Christiania (the former name of Oslo) on March 18, 1872—coinciding with Bjørnson’s seventieth birthday. Two decades later, in 1892, Grieg extracted and revised the music into three orchestral suites, published collectively under the title Sigurd Jorsalfar Suites, Op. 56.
- Introduction: In the King's Hall
Bjørnson’s drama draws inspiration from the medieval Heimskringla saga, recounting the story of two twelfth-century Norwegian kings who are also brothers: Eystein, a cautious ruler devoted to law and governance, and Sigurd, a restless crusader driven by exploration and conquest. Their opposition reflects two complementary aspects of the Norwegian character—and, symbolically, elements of Grieg’s own temperament.
The brothers’ rivalry intensifies as both fall in love with Borghild, eventually erupting into open conflict.
- Intermezzo: Borghild's Dream
Grieg narrates the drama through a refined interplay of orchestral color and choral writing. Borghild’s Dream unfolds with hushed, almost suspended sonorities, portraying the heroine in a half-sleeping state. The music gradually grows restless and fragmented as she awakens from a disturbing nightmare—haunted by the violent rivalry of the two brothers.
A tense dialogue between piano and violin suggests the mounting competition, soon intensified by horn calls that announce impending confrontation. This leads into the first choral episode, The Scandinavians, where shouted declamations vividly portray the rivals challenging one another.