Peter Greve (1931-2021) was born in The Hague (Netherlands). He received musical training in The Hague from Jean Antonietti and Léon Orthel (piano), Theo Laanen (trumpet), Dr. Marcus van Crevel (music theory), and later from Willem Frederik Bon (Amsterdam), Myers Foggin (United Kingdom) and Terence Lovett (United Kingdom), in orchestral conducting. During this time, he also studied at the State University of Leiden (Netherlands), where he obtained M.Sc. (1957) and Ph.D. (1959) degrees in chemistry.

After his studies, he worked as a scientific researcher for Philips-Duphar Pharmaceutical Industry and for the Dutch Ministry of Public Health and Environmental Hygiene, but remained active in music on a part-time basis. From 1981 to 2002, he worked as a consultant for various national and international organizations in East Asia, Eastern Europe, Central America, and Arab countries. After his retirement in 2002, he was a full-time musician, fulfilling a wish felt since his early youth and working as a composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist. He was a member of the Society of Dutch Composers (Nieuw GeNeCo) and of BUMA/Stemra (Dutch organization in charge of the collection of music copyrights).

Greve lived in ‘s-Graveland, a village about 20 km south-east of Amsterdam. A more detailed biography and a survey of his compositions and arrangements may be found on his website petergreve.nl

Scores and audio or video-records of his works can be downloaded free of charge from this website as well. Parts for performances are for sale through the Foundation “Peter Greve, componist & arrangeur.”

News

We Remember Peter Greve
September 23, 2021

We Remember: Composer Peter Greve

December 23, 2019

The Inside Story: Peter Greve and THE PALACE OF THE DREAMKING

April 23, 2019

The Inside Story: Peter Greve and VOICES OF EARTH & AIR VOL. II

Albums

Oerbos

Release Date: April 8, 2022
Catalog Number: NV6381
21st Century
Orchestral
Solo Instrumental
Orchestra
Piano
A primeval forest, unaltered by man and teeming with natural greens and ancient oaks, and its power struggle between chaos and order is unearthed in OERBOS from composer Peter Greve. His third volume of all original compositions, the composer offers a wide variety of works for solo, chamber, choral, and orchestral performers, along with a riveting narrative of forest life in the album's titular symphonic poem. Join the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava as they guide you through a turbulent passage of music, beginning with a calm sunrise and ending with an ode to the unity of mankind and nature, a celebratory movement after a ravaging storm.

The Palace of the Dreamking

Release Date: November 15, 2019
Catalog Number: NV6257
21st Century
Chamber
Orchestral
Brass Ensemble
Orchestra
String Quartet
Peter Greve may be seen as a prime example for music as a late vocation – though it's hard to believe when one hears how deeply his creations root in the bon ton of contemporary musical academia. THE PALACE OF THE DREAMKING offers a cross-section through Greve's eclectic and wildly experimental body of compositional work.

In Tandem

Release Date: May 24, 2019
Catalog Number: NV6227
21st Century
Chamber
Solo Instrumental
Clarinet
Piano
Violin
Introducing the album is Lee Actor’s Duo for Violin and Cello. The track, which won the Eva Thompson Phillips Award for Composition in 1979, is a short, textured, and powerful piece. In ABA form, the energy of the stringed instruments swings like a parabola from the height of sharp, angular rhythms down into deep and gentle expressions and builds up to a sharp, explosive climax.

Voices of Earth and Air Vol II

Release Date: April 26, 2019
Catalog Number: NV6221
21st Century
Vocal Music
Choir
VOICES OF EARTH AND AIR VOL II presents the best that modern choral compositions have to offer. Settings of traditional prayers are mingled with ethereal stories and otherworldly visions, and each of the eight compositions both stand unique and work together harmoniously to create a collection that nods to the future of choral music.

Lines to Infinity

Release Date: January 13, 2017
Catalog Number: NV6070
21st Century
Chamber
Solo Instrumental
Flute
Piano
PARMA Recordings artists Peter Greve and Hans Bakker have come together to give us LINES TO INFINITY, a stunning album that revolves around emotive and dramatic scores for primarily piano and flute. The two composers hail from the Netherlands and share a knack for creating thoughtful contemporary chamber works that appeal to the listener’s imagination.

Pinnacle

Release Date: January 8, 2016
Catalog Number: NV6022
21st Century
Chamber
Navona Records presents PINNACLE, a compilation of contemporary chamber works by composers Hans Bakker, Steven Block, Peter Greve, Daniel Perttu, and Kevin M. Walczyk that highlight the melodic, emotive, and dramatic styles offered by some of today’s chamber music.