Cello Sonata in A Minor, Op. 36 (Arr. for Viola) by Edvard Grieg Edvard Grieg, one of the best-known composers to come out of the Nordic countries, was a restless soul, torn between the solitude of the fjord valleys of Norway and the concert halls of the large cities of Continental Europe. Throughout his life he was dogged by a fear that art would fall into irrelevance. Often Grieg would visit the Leipzig Conservatory where he studied music composition so that he might discover musical trends popular with the younger generations. Poor health dampened his musical inspiration and lofty goals; as one could quote from the Scriptures, “. . . the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak.” During 1883, Grieg’s inner conflicts culminated in a personal, marital and artistic crisis. It is at this time that he completed his cello sonata, dedicated to his brother John, an amateur cellist who briefly attended the Leipzig Conservatory. In the fall ...