Grieg married his cousin, singer Nina Hagerup when he returned to Norway and completed Piano Symphony in A Minor (1868). At this time, he was staying with Ole Bull, the violinist that “discovered” him and was inevitably introduced to Norwegian folk music. This allowed him to express himself in composing “nationalist” music and he desperately tried to rid his Norwegian culture of Danish influence. Grieg’s music was characterized by Norwegian folk melodies and the work of Norwegian writers at the time, no doubt a heavy influence from young composer Rikard Nordraak. Grieg suffered a mild mid-life crisis at the age of 40, clearly disappointed with his composing and his marriage. However, with a move to a new city and a yearly routine that included composing in the spring and summer and devoting the rest of the year to concerto tours, Grieg soon regained his stable mental and physical state. When Edvard played piano concerts, and his wife accompanied him with singing, there was many a comment that there were far better singers. But it would be futile to bring in other women, for Nina was the sole person, according to Grieg, who understood his music. Claude Debussy made it a clear fact he was not a supporter of Grieg’s music, probably because he lacked an understanding, saying Grieg was “Bonbons wrapped in snow.”
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