'So what should we listen to today?' We had just settled down to eat breakfast and Arthur Rubinstein, brimming with excitement over the unfolding of a new day, was eagerly awaiting my reply. Although well into his nineties, he had the energy of a 50 year old. His failing eyesight had put a stop to concertizing, but certainly not to his curiosity for new experiences and to his joy of living. His latest obsession was listening to recordings, including his own. In fact he had never much listened to recordings before and was thrilled to listen to all kinds of music, mostly chamber music, but also recordings that he had made decades before - some of which he barely remembered.

I was fortunate enough to have been invited to spend a couple of weeks at the Rubinstein home in Paris. This was not my first visit so I was used to the daily routines and had been prepared for his question. Immediately I replied that I wished to hear his Grieg concerto with Ormandy and the Philadelphia orchestra; a marvellous performance which I knew he would enjoy. So we listened to it - humming along and stomping our feet in time to the folk music of the last movement. When it ended we started discussing the performance and the piece but were suddenly interrupted, not realising that there was more on the record - some of Grieg's Lyric Pieces. This was the first time I had heard them and they were enchanting; the Norwegian Schumann.

Arthur obviously loved them as well and suggested they would be fine pieces to add to any of my programmes, which I have done for my upcoming Wigmore Hall recital on 13 July, where I am starting with some of the Lyric Pieces, followed by Liszt, Ravel and Schumann. 

Years later when I was searching for something different and interesting to start a programme - and not just the normal Baroque piece or Classical sonata - I remembered Arthur's suggestion. He had always said one should build a programme as one would build a fine menu - and what better hors d'oeuvre than the exquisite and varied Grieg miniature masterpieces? It worked a treat; there is even one delightful piece called 'Once upon a time' - the perfect opening work. Since I have been playing them frequently it was natural for my recording company (ATMA Classique) to ask if I'd choose a few and record a CD.

Naturally one can't fit all 66 pieces onto one CD and a choice of 25 had to be made; no easy task. I did want to include the three most popular - Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, the March of the Trolls and the Butterfly - because they are popular for a reason, being extremely well crafted and enjoyable. But highest on my list was At your feet, which is, by any standards, a masterpiece full of love and inspiration. I also wanted to pick pieces from every period of his life including the very first Arietta and the very last Remembrances, where he uses the melody from the Arietta in a whimsical waltz. Although I tried to make my choices as varied as possible, I do tend to lean towards his gentle Nordic melodies and enjoy playing them the most: Album Leaf, Summer's Eve, Evening in the Mountains, and so on.

Debussy referred (in rather condescending fashion) to the Grieg Lyric Pieces as 'pink bonbons filled with snow'...ah! But these pink miracles are original, varied, seductive and absolutely delicious.