Peer Gynt by Henrik Ibsen is a centerpiece of Norwegian culture. However, the character of Peer seems to be at odds with the stoic stereotype commonly associated with Norwegians. He is a brash, selfish scoundrel who travels the world, living for the moment. He deserts his widowed mother, gets drunk and steals the bride at a neighbor’s wedding, and abandons her in the mountains. He’s selfish and lazy. He’s a lying braggart, a womanizer, and a thief.
St. Olaf professor Todd Nichol says Peer Gynt is only one side of the Norwegian character. “He is a bookend to another great figure created by Ibsen, Brand,” Nichol explains. “Brand is a highly idealistic, enormously wilful Lutheran pastor, and Peer Gynt is a feckless opportunist.”
The attraction of this folk hero of Scandinavian culture is only one of the reasons Endangered Productions has chosen Peer Gynt as its major production for 2022. The music composed for Ibsen’s play by Grieg is some of the most recognisable and well-loved Classical music ever created. It was originally composed as ‘Incidental Music’ for Henrik Ibsen’s five-act verse-play for performance in a theatre and is rarely performed in this way. We jumped at the opportunity to present both play and music as Ibsen originally intended. A rare gem.
Other attractions of the work were the spellbinding, faraway places and the fantasy world of trolls and mythical creatures – even a shipwreck! This gave us ample scope for innovation in music, song, drama and dance. Our Conductor, Peter Alexander, has arranged Grieg’s score for our 30-piece orchestra and many of Sydney’s best professional musicians will play at the performance.
The final reason for choosing Peer Gynt is its surprising contemporary resonance. Like Scandinavia’s Peer and Brand, governments and people today are struggling with the tension between individual benefits and collective obligations.