One day I was lucky to play on Edward Grieg’s grand piano “Steinway.” Grieg was my favorite composer when I studied in music school in Russia and later in music college. Could I imagine at that time that I would be able to see the personal piano of one of the world’s greatest composers and even have an opportunity to play on it?

It happened during our trip to Norway. Traveling is our passion. My husband and I traveled to 74 countries. We have a website, GreedyTravelers.com, where we write about our journeys worldwide.

After visiting so many parts of the world, Norway is still one of our favorite countries. When people ask us which countries we like the most, our answer is always the same: Norway and Japan!

During our two-week trip around Norway, we visited Bergen. It is the second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. Edward Grieg lived in this city as a child, and later, he settled there again with his wife.

From Bergen, we went to Troldhaugen, to the Grieg’s summer villa. The composer lived there for twenty-two summers. We walked around the entire estate, admiring the beautiful views of the mountains and the fjord, and looked into the window of the Grieg’s tiny cabin, where the composer created his famous compositions.

We visited Grieg’s house in the late afternoon. It was empty, with no visitors. The guide took us on a tour around the house. In the living room, we stopped in front of the “Steinway” grand piano. According to the sign, the instrument was presented to Grieg for his silver anniversary in 1892.

It stands behind the rope, so you are not allowed to touch the instrument. The guide told us that Grieg’s piano is in good shape, tuned regularly, and used only for special occasions.

My husband told the guide that his wife is a pianist educated in Russia and living in the United States. After that, he had the nerve to ask: “Since the museum is empty, could my wife play a little on this piano?”

The guide hesitated and said: “You know what? You cannot do it while there are visitors at the museum. Let me close the front door for a few minutes, and then your wife can play the Steinway. But, please, not for long.”

I don’t remember what exactly I played, but it was one of the pieces by Grieg.

By that time, I had already created a couple of dozen lecture-concerts about the great classical composers. I gave these concert-lectures at many country clubs in South Florida, including Mar-a-Lago, at many social events, and even at the United States’ Embassy in Moscow.

One of the lectures was about Edvard Grieg. This lecture included several of his compositions. I still could play some of them by heart.

We spent several hours at Grieg’s estate. In the evening, we attended a live performance at the concert hall. While listening to Grieg’s music, we enjoyed the beautiful view of the fiord visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows installed behind the stage.

I believe any musician would feel fortunate to play the instrument which belonged to the world-famous composer. I will remember and cherish that incredible moment for as long as I live.