Sunday, February 08, 2009

Bartok’s Piano Sonata

The afternoon sunlight is streaming in my window, a stiff, cold breeze is blowing and I’m thinking about Bela Bartok’s knuckle buster of a piano sonata hoping I can get this posted before the power goes back out.

The first movement is one of the most energetic pieces imaginable, in places there are so many voices all over the keyboard that you can’t count them. The second movement is where the sunlight comes in, the third movement is extraordinarily optimistic. Here’s Zoltan Kocsis playing. Ah, to be 50 again.

Mvt. 1


Mvt. 2 and 3




Posted by Anthony McCarthy