Here, too, Grieg had his little work cabin away from the house, down a steep path, among the trees of the garden.  In this tiny retreat he composed many of his unique pieces.

As a pianist, there are many people living who have heard Grieg play, and all agree that his performance was most poetical and beautiful.  He never had great power, for a heavy wagon had injured one of his hands, and he had lost the use of one of his lungs in youth.  But he always brought out lyric parts most expressively, and had a “wonderfully crisp and buoyant execution in rhythmical passages.”  He continued to play occasionally in different cities, and with increased frequency made visits to England, France and Germany, to make known his compositions.  He was in England in the spring of 1888, for on May 3, the London Philharmonic gave almost an entire program of Grieg’s music.  He acted in the three-fold capacity of composer, conductor and pianist.  It was said by one of the critics:  “Mr. Grieg played his own Concerto in A minor, after his own manner; it was a revelation.”  Another wrote; “The Concerto is very beautiful.  The dreamy charm of the opening movement, the long-drawn sweetness of the Adagio, the graceful, fairy music of the final Allegro—­all this went straight to the hearts of the audience.  Grieg as a conductor gave equal satisfaction.  It is to be hoped the greatest representative of ’old Norway’ will come amongst us every year.”

Grieg did return the next year and appeared with the Philharmonic, March 14, 1889.  The same critic then wrote: 

“The hero of the evening was unquestionably Mr. Grieg, the heroine being Madame Grieg, who sang in her own unique and most artistic fashion, a selection of her husband’s songs, he accompanying with great delicacy and poetic feeling.  Grieg is so popular in London, both as composer and pianist, that when he gave his last concert, people were waiting in the street before the doors from eleven in the morning, quite as in the old Rubinstein days.”

In only a few cities did the artist pair give their unique piano and song recitals.  These were:  Christiania, Copenhagen, Leipsic, Rome, Paris, London and Edinburgh.  They were indeed artistic events, in which Nina Grieg was also greatly admired.  While not a great singer, it was said she had the captivating abandon, dramatic vivacity and soulful treatment of the poem, which reminded of Jenny Lind.

Mme. Grieg made her last public appearance in London in 1898.  After that she sang only for her husband and his friends.  Grieg’s sixtieth birthday, June 15, 1903, was celebrated in the cities of Scandanavia, throughout Europe and also in America:  thus he lived to see the recognition of his unique genius in many parts of the world.