Composers / Edvard Grieg / Places catalog

Grand Casino Hall

The Grand Casino Hall at 10 Amaliegade was a kind of winter Tivoli Gardens (designed by the same architect). It hosted concerts, theatre shows, rallies and so on. It was here, on 3 April 1869, that Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor was first performed, with the work’s dedicatee Edmund Neupert as soloist and professional musicians of the Musikernes Orkesterforening (Union of Orchestral Musicians) directed by Holger Simon Paulli, Kapellmeister of the Royal Theatre. Both the musicians and the conductor, fascinated by this music, applied themselves greatly to the task, with long rehearsals with the soloist held over four full days.

During the winter of 1868, Grieg struggled with the orchestration of the concerto, despite difficulties with his everyday life and numerous lessons, because the premiere was already on the programme for just before Christmas.

The composer himself was not present at the first performance, due to previous engagements with the orchestra in Christiania (Oslo).

Fate decreed that the piano on which Neupert gave the first performance of the A minor Concerto belonged to the great Russian pianist Anton Rubinstein (founder of the St Petersburg Conservatory), who happened to call at Copenhagen on a concert tour and lent Neupert his own instrument.

Of course, Rubinstein took a seat in the honorary box and listened to Grieg’s new music alongside representatives of the Copenhagen musical elite, including Niels W. Gade and Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann. The music environment had long been alive with rumours that Grieg was preparing something unusual, and so the hall was crammed full. The concerto surpassed all expectations. The audience’s reaction both during and after Neupert’s rendition was exceptionally enthusiastic. The performance was interrupted by spontaneous applause and cries, not just after each movement, but also after the first movement cadenza.

Place Category
100 Via Sistina
Flats
2 Øvre Voldgate Flats
Amsterdam
Antico Caffè Greco
Coffeehouses
Avenue to the Grieg Museum Education, Other
A Walk around Grieg’s Villa Flats
Bergen Public Library Other
Berlin Appearances
Brussels Appearances
Church of St John Churches / Places of worship
Church of St Mary Churches / Places of worship
Church of St Thomas Churches / Places of worship
Composer’s Atelier Flats
Den Nationale Scene Appearances
Eremitagen in Jægersborg Manors / Palaces / Castles
Fish Market
Fredensborg Castle Manors / Palaces / Castles
Frederiksborg slott Manors / Palaces / Castles
Geneva Appearances
German Quay Other
Gewandhaus Appearances
Grand Café Coffeehouses
Grand Casino Hall Appearances
Grieghallen Appearances
Grieg Museum Other
Griegs’ Townhouse Flats
Hals Brothers’ Concert Hall Appearances
Hans Tank Secondary School Education
Haukeland Flats
Helsinge in Gribskov Other
Helsingör Manors / Palaces / Castles
Hotel Cecil Hotels / Inns
Hotel Westminster Hotels / Inns
Humlebæk Other
Kalfaret Churches / Places of worship
Karlsbad (Karlovy Vary) Hotels / Inns
Lago Maggiore Other
Lake Gurre Other
Landås Court Flats
Leipzig Conservatory Education
Leipzig Opera Other
Leipzig Train Station Other
Lodge Education
London Other
Mendelssohn House Other
Missionary House Appearances
Mothsgaard/Søllerød Kro
Flats
National Theatre Appearances
Odd Fellows Palace Manors / Palaces / Castles
Old (Gamle) Bergen Museum of Architecture Flats
Old Town with the Old Town Hall (Leipzig) Other
Paris Other
Peters Edition Publishers / Bookshops
Piazza Barberini Other
Piazza del Popolo Churches / Places of worship, Other
Pincio Other
Prague Other
Royal Conservatory of Music Education
Royal Theatre Appearances
Rungstedlund Flats
Sanatorium on Voksenkollen Hotels / Inns
Scandinavian Society Other
Sorrento Hotels / Inns
Spanish Steps Other
Stockholm Other
The Grave of Edvard and Nina Cemeteries
The Wet Dock Other
Tivoli Other
Troll Hall (Troldsalen) Appearances
Vienna Other
Villa Medici Other
Villefranche-sur-Mer Other
Warsaw Appearances, Other
Wilhelm Hansen Edition Publishers / Bookshops