Description
Bartók's Second String Quartet was created between 1915 and 1918, albeit with several lengthy interruptions, following a period during which he dedicated himself primarily to the collection of folk music. The vibrant melodies and rhythms of the lively middle movement, “Allegro, molto capriccioso,” serve as a remarkable testament to the influence of his research travels, which extended to North Africa. The initial edition of this quartet, released in Vienna in 1920, contained a significant number of errors, some of which were only partially rectified in a subsequent revision by Bartók himself. Even in the 1940s, he continued to make alterations in his personal copy of the score that had not been published before.
These later modifications by Bartók have been incorporated into this definitive edition of the string quartets, overseen by Bartók scholar László Somfai, who has meticulously documented problematic passages in the sources. This edition represents the first Urtext version of this composition. Thoughtful page turns and cue notes in the parts make this edition particularly suitable for exploring Bartók's sonic landscape in a performance setting.
