A Bridge to Modernism: Bartók's Sonata and Janáček's Intimate Letters CD

UPC: 027726726526 

MPN: 2672652 

Brand Name: Point Classics

Overview: Landmark 20th-Century Chamber Music

This 1996 Point Classics CD unites two pillars of 20th-century European classical composition: Béla Bartók and Leoš Janáček. The album features three distinctive and emotionally complex works: Bartók’s groundbreaking Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion, Janáček’s deeply personal String Quartet No. 2, "Intimate Letters," and his evocative piano cycle "In the Mists." These works collectively explore themes of national musical identity, intense personal emotion, and innovative instrumentation, making this compilation an essential listen for serious classical music collectors and those studying the evolution of modern chamber repertoire. The performances, featuring pianists Peter Toperczer and Marian Lapšansky, bring a compelling intensity to these demanding scores.

Product Features: Modern Classical Chamber Works

• Format: CD, Album, Stereo
• Genre: Classical Music
• Style: 20th-Century Classical, Modernism
• Total Tracks: 11
• Release Year: 1996
• Country of Release: Germany
• Featured Composers: Béla Bartók (1881-1945) and Leoš Janáček (1854-1928)
• Key Instrumentation: Two Pianos and Percussion (tracks 1-3), String Quartet (Violin, Viola, Cello) (tracks 4-7), Solo Piano (tracks 8-11).
• Key Artists: Peter Toperczer (Piano), Marian Lapšansky (Piano), Vladimir Kovar (Violin), Vitezslav Zavadilik (Violin), Jan Jurik (Viola), Antonin Gal (Violoncello).

Interesting Facts: Passion, Folk Roots, and Innovation

Leoš Janáček was a Czech composer known for his distinctive, highly original style inspired by Moravian and Slavic folk music and speech rhythms. His String Quartet No. 2, composed in 1928 shortly before his death, is subtitled "Intimate Letters" and serves as a passionate musical diary inspired by his long, intense, and largely unrequited relationship with Kamila Stösslová, a married woman nearly four decades his junior. Janáček referred to the music as glowing with the dear things they had experienced, and famously, the viola is used throughout the work to personify Kamila herself. "In the Mists" (V mlhách), a 1912 piano cycle, reflects a period of emotional turmoil for Janáček, using poignant, misty textures and deep introspection, highly characteristic of his mature, modern style.

Béla Bartók was a Hungarian composer and ethnomusicologist who meticulously integrated Eastern European folk melodies and rhythms into a modern, uniquely powerful voice. His 1937 Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion (Sz 110) is a revolutionary work commissioned for the International Society for Contemporary Music. It elevates the piano's role to a percussion instrument while treating the entire ensemble as a percussive quartet. The work is structurally masterful, following traditional sonata forms, yet is marked by its complex rhythms and dark, uncertain mood, reflecting the gathering anxiety in Europe just prior to World War II. Bartók and his wife, Ditta Pásztory, premiered the piece, making this score a deeply personal and professional milestone.

Track Listing: Timings for Bartók and Janáček Masterworks

Publishers: Point Classics

• Label: Point Classics
• Catalog Number: 2672652

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