String Quartet No. 2
A product of a time of personal growth and transition, the Second String Quartet walks a thin line between traditional forms and idioms, and more contemporary styles and techniques. For example, the first movement is in Sonata-Allegro form, but the octatonic collections obscure any Classical or Romantic harmonic norms. The second movement is labeled “Toccata,” but is a display of group virtuosity rather than the individual virtuosity of Baroque keyboard toccatas.
The principle motive of the Second Quartet is not found until this second movement, yet there are hints of it throughout the first, and it appears in some form in the third and fourth movements. The work teeters on the line between traditional and contemporary, with several headfirst dives into one extreme. Inspirations of minimalism, and composers such as Bartók and Giacinto Scelsi are evident along with traditional Late Romantic styles and tropes.
The principle motive of the Second Quartet is not found until this second movement, yet there are hints of it throughout the first, and it appears in some form in the third and fourth movements. The work teeters on the line between traditional and contemporary, with several headfirst dives into one extreme. Inspirations of minimalism, and composers such as Bartók and Giacinto Scelsi are evident along with traditional Late Romantic styles and tropes.