Bartók's Entire Violin Chamber Works /1 Presented by Liszt Academy

Béla Bartók regularly played in concert with leading violinists of the time, and in the course of his collecting trips he noted the music of village fiddlers with unequalled precision. Although he never formally studied violin, thanks to his experiences after a while he knew everything there was to know about the instrument. One of the summations of his impressions about the violin is the duet series commissioned by Erich Doflein, which aims at the acquisition of instrumental knowledge as well as intensification of the practice of chamber music. The violinists who played an essential part in the creation of particular works were similarly important for Bartók. The trio Contrasts was written at the request of famous jazz clarinettist Benny Goodman, but between the two artists one of Bartók’s regular violinist partners, József Szigeti, was the link. From the women violinists who thrilled the composer, we have Jelly Arányi to thank for the two magnificent violin-piano sonatas, while the Andante written in his youth is dedicated to her sister, Adila Arányi.