This little-known but delightful suite, composed in 1936, consists of piano adaptations Bartók made of five items from his 44 Duos for Two Violins. The collection of 44 duos is a cornerstone of the two-violin repertoire and should be played by all violin duos. I wish Bartók had reworked more of these for the piano – it is amazing how idiomatic and colorful these folk music inspired pieces sound on either instrument.
I recorded these in august 2009.
00:30 Slow Dance
02:47 Whirling Dance
03:40 Quasi Pizzicato
04:52 Ruthenian Dance
05:58 Bagpipes
