Krysia Osostowicz, Susan Tomes, Michael Collins - Bartók: Sonata, Contrasts & Rhapsodies (1990)

Tracklist

01. Sonata for Solo Violin, Sz. 117: I. Tempo di ciaccona
02. Sonata for Solo Violin, Sz. 117: II. Fuga. Risoluto, non troppo vivo
03. Sonata for Solo Violin, Sz. 117: III. Melodia. Adagio
04. Sonata for Solo Violin, Sz. 117: IV. Presto
05. Contrasts for Clarinet, Violin & Piano, Sz. 111: I. Verbunkos "Recruiting Dance". Moderato ben ritmato
06. Contrasts for Clarinet, Violin & Piano, Sz. 111: II. Pihenö "Relaxation". Lento
07. Contrasts for Clarinet, Violin & Piano, Sz. 111: III. Sebes "Fast Dance". Allegro vivace
08. Romanian Folk Dances, Sz. 56 (Arr. Székely for Violin & Piano): I. Joc cu bâta "Stick Dance"
09. Romanian Folk Dances, Sz. 56 (Arr. Székely for Violin & Piano): II. Brâul "Sash Dance"
10. Romanian Folk Dances, Sz. 56 (Arr. Székely for Violin & Piano): III. Pe loc "In One Spot"
11. Romanian Folk Dances, Sz. 56 (Arr. Székely for Violin & Piano): IV. Buciumeana "Horn Dance"
12. Romanian Folk Dances, Sz. 56 (Arr. Székely for Violin & Piano): V. Romanian Polka
13. Romanian Folk Dances, Sz. 56 (Arr. Székely for Violin & Piano): VI. Mărunțel "Fast Dances 1 & 2"
14. Rhapsody No. 1 for Violin and Piano, Sz. 86: I. Lassú. Moderato
15. Rhapsody No. 1 for Violin and Piano, Sz. 86: II. Friss. Allegro moderato
16. Rhapsody No. 2 for Violin and Piano, Sz. 89: I. Lassú. Moderato
17. Rhapsody No. 2 for Violin and Piano, Sz. 89: II. Friss. Allegro moderato

Unusually for a composer who wrote so much fine chamber music Bartók wasn't himself a string player. But he did enjoy close artistic understanding with a succession of prominent violin virtuosos, including the Hungarians Jelly d'Arányi, Joseph Szigeti and Zoltán Székely, and, towards the end of his life, Yehudi Menuhin.
It was Menuhin who commissioned the Sonata for solo violin, but Bartók died before he could hear him play it – Menuhin was unhappy with the occasional passages in quarter-tones and the composer had reserved judgement on his proposal to omit them. It was Menuhin's edition which was later printed and which has been most often played and recorded; but Krysia Osostowicz returns to the original and, more importantly, plays the whole work with intelligence, imaginative flair and consummate skill.
The Sonata is the most substantial work on this disc, but the rest of the programme is no less thoughtfully prepared or idiomatically delivered.
There's the additional attraction of an extremely well balanced and natural-sounding recording. As a complement to the string quartets, which are at the very heart of Bartók's output, this is a most recommendable disc.

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