From the misery of a failed love affair came Bartók’s Fourteen Bagatelles, unashamedly experimental, decidedly forward-looking and displaying many of the qualities of his mature...

From the misery of a failed love affair came Bartók’s Fourteen Bagatelles, unashamedly experimental, decidedly forward-looking and displaying many of the qualities of his mature style. Buoyed by the success of his Dance Suite a concert in Budapest in 1925, Bartók felt inspired to compose major works for himself to play as a concert pianist, including the neo-classical Nine Little Piano Pieces (1926) which owe something to Italian Baroque composers such as Frescobaldi and Marcello.