Grieg: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1-3

Featuring

Dong-Suk Kang
Roland Pöntinen
Edvard Grieg

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Composer's Artistic Vision

The 'Grieg motif,' a falling minor second leading to the dominant, is a characteristic feature of Norwegian folk music that Grieg used extensively in his works.

Composer Biography

Grieg experienced significant personal crises, including doubts about his vocation as a composer and marital difficulties, during the period between his G major and C minor sonatas.

Instruments

Violinist Dong-Suk Kang performs on an Omobono Stradivarius violin from Cremona, 1740, with a Vigneron bow from Paris.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Grieg considered his three violin sonatas among his best works, representing distinct periods in his artistic development: naive, national, and with a wider horizon.

Composer Biography

After studying in Leipzig, Grieg felt he was too influenced by other composers and needed to develop a more individual musical language, which he sought in Copenhagen.

Compositional Technique

Grieg's First Violin Sonata features a characteristic imitation of the Hardanger fiddle, the Norwegian national instrument, and uses the musical form of the springaren, a Norwegian folk dance.