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Bartok's incredible potpourri of
Hungarian folk tunes (with some Rumanian and Bulgarian influences)
opens with a Verbunkos dance whose march-like theme betrays its use
for recruiting soldiers who have had a bit too much to drink. One might
imagine the unhappy new recruit awakening during the clarinet's closing
cadenza. The second movement, entitle Piheno (relaxation) seems nearly
motionless by comparison, but with all the mystery and tension we come
to expect from Bartok's other pieces of 'night music'. The set finished
with a Sebes (fast dance) whose folk credentials are assured by the
use of a violin 'mistuned' (scordatura) in a folk style for the opening
bars. This is high-energy dance music, and a break is provided in the
middle with a slower section in (8+5)/8 or 13/8 time! Once rested however,
the manic pace resumes and runs to the end.
- Timothy Perry, Aug 2007 |
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