Variations

When searching for inspiration, composers don’t always go to the works of others: sometimes, they look back at their own repertoire. Tonight’s broadcasts features two works by composers who “self-plagerized” to some extent. Edvard Grieg wrote his only cello sonata after a period of illness, taking the opportunity to expand on themes he had first introduced in a previously composed funeral march and wedding march. Bartók’s second string quartet was crafted in between visits to the Hungarian countryside. The result is a string quartet that combines some folk melodies from his travels with original material.