LIFE STORY
Nina Grieg (1845–1935)
Nina Hagerup Grieg was born near Bergen on November 24, 1845. Her parents were Herman Hagerup, a brother of Edvard Grieg's mother, and a Danish actress, Madame Werleigh. Her parents moved to Denmark when Nina was 8 years old. Later, she studied singing in Copenhagen, where she met the composer, Edvard Grieg. They were married June 11, 1867, when she was twenty-two years old. She became the leading interpreter of his songs. Though she had a small voice, she had such fine artistry that their joint recitals throughout Europe met with great critical acclaim.
In 1892, on their Silver Anniversary, the couple was given a Steinway grand piano which is at their Swiss-style villa, Troldhaugen, situated on a promontory jutting out into Lake Nordas near Bergen. The home was built in 1884–1885, and the couple lived and worked there every summer from 1885 until Edvard's death in 1907 at the age of 64. She then moved to Denmark and at the age of 90, Nina died (December 9, 1935). More . . .
TROLDHAUGEN TODAY
Throughout the world, Grieg's music still has a huge audience, and the couple's home, Troldhaugen, is now one of Norway's great tourist attractions. The complex is now composed of the Villa, the Edvard Grieg Museum, which opened in 1995, the composer's hut, where he wrote much of his music, and Troldsalen, a concert hall with seating for 200 people. We recommend a visual tour of the beautiful web site for Troldhaugen Museum near Bergen, Norway (click on the red house of that website to begin the tour).
