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Two Hungarian 20th century masterpieces on one CD.

Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra is one of the most important symphonic works of the last century, and by far his most popular. It includes many opportunities for the various instruments of the orchestra.

The Kodaly Concerto for Orchestra epitomizes his style which is basically lateromantic with strong folk music influences.

Excellent performances from the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by the great Spanish conductor Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos.

Licensed from Collins Classics.

Recording made in 2008.

Booklet notes.

Klára Würtz studied with Zoltan Kocsis and Gyorgy Kurtag, and received a scholarship from András Schiff for his masterclasses at Prussia Cove, Cornwall, UK. She has since performed widely in the North America and Europe When Bartók started work on his Third and last piano concerto in 1944, he was already ill, and in exile in the United States. The following year he died, leaving the concerto almost complete. His pupil Tibor Serly completed the final bars using Bartók’s instructions. The concerto was premiered in 1946 and was an immediate success. Unlike much of his earlier work, the Third concerto like the Concerto for Orchestra shows a more approachable and less modernistic character. The public had balked at Bartók’s spiky and percussive music, and the comparatively warm, almost wistful romanticism of the Third concerto provides an ideal introduction to the composer. The work is the summation of his close relationship with the concertos of the classical and romantic period composers he admired – Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt and Richard Strauss. Ravel was determined to write just one work in each genre, and if he ever deviated from his rule, the resulting work in the same genre contrasted greatly with its companion. His two piano concertos were composed around 1930. The Concerto for the Left Hand is a very challenging work for the performer, and the mood is predominantly dark and brooding. In contrast the Concerto in G was described by Ravel as a divertissement, and he said that Mozart and Saint-Saëns provided the inspiration. Allied to these influences is Ravel’s love of jazz which can be detected in the first movement and the finale which frame a serene and beautiful slow movement.

Bartók showed little interest in opera, until the libretto for Bluebeard’s Castle by Béla Balázs arrived on his desk. Something about the character of Bluebeard, and his intense loneliness, appealed to him. When Bartók completed the work in 1911 it was banned by the Hungarian Commision of Fine Arts. It wasn’t until 1918 that the Italian conductor Egisto Tango disinterred the score and realised its worth. The work was then performed in Berlin in German, and in Hungarian in Florence. Kodály described the work as the ‘Hungarian Pelléas’, and the dual between Romantic and impressionistic influences certainly links the two works.

Berg’s Wozzeck was premiered in 1925 conducted by Erich Kleiber, then banned by the Nazis as decadent in the 1930s. Since then though it has become recognised as one of the masterpieces of 20th-century opera. Structured as a normal opera, but without arias and recitatives, the second act is in effect a fourmovement symphony. The opera also has significant symphonic interludes. Berg made a concert suite from material from the opera in 1924, and it met with instant success.

The first volume of an exciting 4 CD project: the complete works for violin of the great Hungarian 20-th century composer Béla Bartók.

The first volume offers early works and transcriptions, most of them with strong Hungarian folk music influence. Later volumes will include the violin sonatas, the solo sonata and the violin concertos. Excellent performances by Hungarian violinist Antal Zalai (formerly names Szalai) and Jozsef Balog, who already proved their superb skills in their recording of the Enescu violin sonatas on Brilliant Classics 9165.

In the early 1900s the young composer had studied many of Strauss’s scores, attempting a symphony in E flat. Gradually the music of his native Hungary began influence his musical voice as can be heard in the E minor violin sonata. The Austro-German musical hold on him was slipping. He took to wearing Hungarian national clothes, and rebelled at speaking German at home. Shortly after completing the violin sonata in 1903 he left for the countryside where he became interested in the folk music and songs of his countrymen. His research with fellow composer Zoltan Kodaly of Hungarian folk music is famous, but Bartók went beyond national boundaries for inspiration, as can be heard in the Transylvanian, Romanian and Slovak folk material featured on this disc of his early works for violin and piano.

Béla Bartók (1881–1945) is considered by many to be the greatest Hungarian composer, as well as one of the most significant musical voices of the 20th century. Self-taught and originally trained as a pianist, he wrote in a number of genres for a variety of different instruments; his works for violin, two of which make up this release, rank among his finest achievements.

This exciting follow-up to Antal Zalai’s previous recording of Bartók’s early works and transcriptions for violin, performed with József Balog, begins with the composer’s Sonata for solo violin of 1944 – a monumental expression of his compositional mastery and defiant will in the face of death. Written for Yehudi Menuhin, a notable interpreter of the Hungarian’s compositions, the work draws on the music of J.S. Bach through its chaconne and fugue-based movements, representing a veritable exercise in the most complex virtuosity.

With ferocity and intensity dominating the sonata, the 44 Duos for two violins that follow offer a stark contrast in character. From the chitinous whirrings of the ‘Mosquito Dance’ to the oriental passion of the ‘Arabian Song’, these concise studies not only allow Bartók’s love of Hungarian folk song to come to the fore, they also cater for beginners as well as the most highly skilled performers. They are a charming conclusion to a collection that, containing expert performances from two of the world’s leading violinists, brims with colour and traverses the full range of violin techniques.

In the first half of the 20th century, Béla Bartók was one of the principal ambassadors of Hungarian music. He was influenced by the folk music of Eastern Europe and strove to break the confines of the traditions of Western Classical music, in order to create harmonies, rhythms and performance practices that were more relevant to his turbulent era. While the two sonatas differ in their relation to the Classical model, the influence of Eastern Europe can be heard in both: the arpeggios at the beginning of No.1 imitate the sound of the Hungarian cimbalom, and there is evidence of Hungarian folk music in its dance‐like finale as well as in the hor lunga‐style melody of the Romanian peasant music in No.2, which recurs several times throughout the piece.

The two Rhapsodies similarly share the influence; the slow ‘Lassú’ movement of No.1, for example, uses an exotic Transylvanian melody followed by a much more cheerful ‘Friss’ movement. Exoticism returns in the ‘Lassú’ of No.2, combined with a hint of melancholy, which is counteracted by the riotous dance of the ‘Friss’ thanks to its improvisatory nature and use of six separate tunes.

The disc features Antal Zalai, praised by Igor Oistrakh as ‘an exceptional violinist who has a perfect technique, beautiful large tone, real musical finesse and maturity as well as a noble personality’.

Joining him is József Balog, one of the most celebrated pianists of his generation and winner of the 2005 Annie Fischer Award.

The composition dates of the two violin concertos by Hungarian composer, pianist and ethnomusicologist Béla Bartók are separated by thirty years and provide a snapshot of his creative process at vastly different points in his life. The first concerto (1907–8) had a rare emotional relevance: it was dedicated to the violinist Stefi Geyer, the object of Bartók’s affections, and showcases different aspects of her personality. This two‐movement work is reminiscent of the works of Strauss and Liszt. The lamenting theme of the first movement represents Bartók’s unrequited love for Stefi, whose theme is repeated with tonal variation. This is followed by a lively second movement, with brilliant sections of arpeggios and scales, as well as whimsical leaps. The second concerto (1937) is from a time in the composer’s life when folk music had become a firm characteristic of his works, and explores more adventurous harmonies than the first. One of the great Classical and Romantic works, the neo‐Classical concerto also contains elements of Baroque and Renaissance music, giving it an historical dimension.

Highlights are the beautiful canon of the second‐movement theme and the reappearance in the third movement of the theme from the first, this time in a rousing triple‐time dance.

Internationally acclaimed violinist Thomas Zehetmair has enjoyed a remarkable career, performing and recording all over the world. He has also become equally sought‐after as a conductor and is currently Musical Director of the Northern Sinfonia (UK).

Recorded in July 1995 at the Italian Institute, Budapest.

Contains liner notes on the pieces.

The cello is perhaps the most romantic instrument of all. Its deep and sonorous sound evokes a melancholy and romantic atmosphere, touching a sensitive chord in everybody's soul.

This set contains some of the best-loved pieces for cello and piano. Two young exciting artists, Timora Rosler and Klára Würtz, make their debut together, playing with heart-felt warmth and musicality.

The Israeli/Dutch cellist Timora Rosler took first prize at the 1996 "Stuttgart International Cello Competition". In 1997 she won the "Vriendenkrans of the Royal Concertgebouw" in Amsterdam. She was praised by the jury as follows: "Timora Rosler has a capturing talent, intimate expressiveness, virtuosity and a natural feeling for the composition … Her interpretation is exceptionally fascinating".