Peer Gynt

Peer Gynt is a play in five acts by seminal Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen loosely based upon a Norwegian fairy tale of the same name. Published in Copenhagen in 1867, the play follows the son of a peasant widow (Peer Gynt) who goes through life procrastinating and avoiding having to face problems that persistently crop up over the course of the play. Originally written as a satire of the Norwegian personality, the play has gone on to become one of the country's most celebrated examples of dramatic literature. The great Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg composed incidental music for the play of which "In the Hall of the Mountain King,"among other examples, stand as some of the most recognizable pieces of classical music in the world.