Re. Bartok

[rwan]

Unfortunately it is exactly the string quartets that I don't know. What I do know - and highly recommend - is Bartok's "Sonata for Two Pianos & Percussion", his "Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta", the three Pianoconcerts and his last completed work, "Concerto", which is a sweeping,sometimes a bit pathetic and overemotional, but sometimes - intentionally very funny piece. (The musical quotations from Shostakovits, for instance.) Bartok did a lot of research into authentic Hungarian folksmusic, something very different from what has been pushed in his time - and ever since - part entertainment, part support for the Hungarian national ego. He went to the farthest corners of the country to listen to grannies sing songs they had learned from their grannies. He wrote the songs down and when the first recording devices became available he made use of that, too. In all his works - be they the early, energetically avantgardistic pieces or the mellower and more emotional later ones - you can hear the echoes of those simple but very typical melodies and moods.

Richard
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