Béla Bartók in 1927 Photo: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Béla Bartók is probably best-known for his work as an ethnomusicologist, travelling around Hungary, as well as Slovakia, Romania and wider Eastern Europe, recording the folk music of the people.
Presenter Charlotte Wilson talked to Clare Galambos-Winter who remembers being recorded on one of Bartók’s collecting expeditions and you can hear an example of one of the original phonograph recordings in the programme.
The New Zealand String Quartet have recorded all of Bartók’s Quartets, so Charlotte also spoke to the NZSQ’s Helene Pohl to find out what insights she had into his music.
Music Details:
BARTÓK: Sonata in G minor for solo violin Sz117 - Christian Tetzlaff (vln) (Virgin 5 45668)
BARTÓK: Mikrokosmos Book 1, Nos 1-23 - Georges Solchany (pno) (EMI 6 95570)
BARTÓK: Allegro Barbaro Sz49 - Béla Bartók (pno) (EMI 5 55031)
BARTÓK: 44 Duos for two violins Sz98, No 14 - Angela Chun (vln), Jennifer Chun (vln) (Harmonia Mundi HMU 90 7501)
LISZT: Hungarian Rhapsody No 2 – Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig/ Kurt Masur (Philips 412 724)
BARTÓK: String Quartet No 2, 2nd mvt – Takacs Quartet (Decca 455 297)
TRAD: Original folksong recording by Bartók and Kodaly - Private
BARTÓK: String Quartet No 1 Sz40 - New Zealand String Quartet, (Manu CD MANU 1551/3)
BARTÓK: Sonata for two pianos & percussion- Martha Argerich (pno), Stephen Kovacevich (pno), Willy Goudswaard (perc), Michael de Roo (perc) (Philips 446 557)
BARTÓK: String quartet no. 6, Sz 114 - The New Zealand String Quartet (MANU CDManu 1551/3)
BARTÓK: Violin Sonata No 1 Sz75 - James Ehnes (vln), Andrew Armstrong (pno) (Chandos CHAN 10705)
BARTÓK: String Quartet No 4, final mvt – Takacs Quartet (Decca 455 297)
