STEVES: Now we travel north to Norway, the land of my grandparents. Until the 19th century, Norway was under the thumb of Sweden and Denmark. In fact, back then, the capital city, Oslo was actually named Christiania after a Danish king. Now, if you know Norwegians like I do, you know they have a deep-seated need to be Norwegian, distinct from the Danes and the Swedes. In fact, think about this. The cultural capital, Bergen, is in the far west, in fjord country, about as far from Denmark and Sweden as you can possibly get. That’s where the artists, the writers, and the composers gathered. Part of Romanticism and part of nationalism is a love of the wonder of nature. In their quest for freedom, Norwegians found inspiration in the natural beauty of their homeland. A popular play back then was based on an old fairy tale, Peer Gynt. He was the local Huck Finn whose misadventures were set in Norway’s majestic nature. Edvard Grieg set the play to music, and this piece celebrates both the pristine majesty of fjord country, as you’ll see, and the pride of the Norwegian way of life.

Here is “Morning Mood,” from Peer Gynt by Edvard Grieg from Norway.

[music: Morning Mood by Edvard Grieg]