Description
Bartók deliberately set out in 1918 to make his mark on New Music with a trio of piano studies. The first is a supercharged, motorically intense Allegro barbaro. The second evokes an elegy inspired by Debussy through its effervescent, waterfall-like cascades of sound. By contrast, the third study bears the clear influence of Schoenberg. In the 1920s, Bartók's demanding piano cycle was rarely performed, with the "Private Musical Performances" in Vienna being one of the few venues where it was played multiple times. First published by Universal Edition in 1918, the initial print run sold out so quickly that a second edition was issued just three years later. László Somfai's Urtext edition, based on the Bartók Complete Edition, features an exciting preface on the work's origins as well as insightful, practical performance suggestions.
