Description
Béla Bartók – For Children / Kornél Zempléni, Piano / Complete Edition / Hungaroton 2xLP Stereo & Mono
UPC: —
MPN: LPX 11394-95
Brand Name: Hungaroton
Overview
This Complete Edition 2xLP from Hungaroton presents For Children (Gyermekeknek), one of Béla Bartók’s most beloved piano cycles, performed with warmth and authenticity by Hungarian pianist Kornél Zempléni. Originally composed between 1908 and 1909, this series of short pieces was designed as a teaching collection, yet its musical richness has elevated it far beyond its pedagogical purpose. In this release, Zempléni brings Bartók’s folk-inspired world to life, combining tender lyricism, rhythmic precision, and the deep folk roots that shaped the composer’s genius.
Part of the Béla Bartók Complete Edition, this double album represents a vital cornerstone of 20th-century piano music and Hungarian national heritage.
Product Features
- Format: 2 × Vinyl, LP, Stereo, Mono
- Label: Hungaroton – LPX 11394-95
- Series: Bartók Béla Complete Edition – II. Piano Music 4–5
- Country: Hungary
- Genre: Classical
- Style: Modern
- Composed By: Béla Bartók
- Piano: Kornél Zempléni
- Cover Design: Győző Varga
- Liner Notes: Szelényi István
- English Translation: Rosemarie Prockl
- German Translation: Imre Ormay
- Photography: Gyula Holics (Bartók in 1910, from Bartók Archives, Budapest)
Interesting Facts
- For Children (Gyermekeknek) was composed by Béla Bartók between 1908–1909 as a progressive piano collection for students, based on Hungarian and Slovak folk melodies that he collected in the countryside.
- The original set contained 85 short pieces across four volumes; Bartók later revised and refined them in 1945, reducing the total to 79 works in two volumes.
- Beyond its educational purpose, For Children is a masterclass in simplicity, clarity, and national spirit — reflecting Bartók’s lifelong dedication to preserving and transforming folk traditions into modern art.
- Many pieces, though brief, display Bartók’s characteristic modal harmony, irregular rhythms, and subtle humor.
- Pianist Kornél Zempléni, a respected interpreter of Hungarian repertoire, captures the composer’s spirit with precision and warmth.
- The Hungaroton Complete Edition remains one of the most authoritative and carefully produced Bartók collections, supervised by leading Hungarian musicologists including Szelényi István.
Track Listing
For Children (Gyermekeknek, 1908–09) Book I – First Part (Hungarian Tunes) – 19:20 A1–A21 — Children at Play, Play Song, Soldier’s Song, Drinking Song and others
Book I – Second Part (Hungarian Tunes) – 20:40 B1–B19 — Dance Song, Choral, Pentatonic Tune, Drunkard’s Song, Swine-Herd’s Dance and others
Book II – First Part (Slovak Tunes) – 21:08 C1–C22 — Wedding Song, Variations, Funeral Song, Game of Tag, Revellry and others
Book II – Second Part (Slovak Tunes) – 21:01 D1–D16 — Peasant’s Flute, The Highway Robber, Farewell, Ballad, Dirge, Mourning Song
Publishers
Label: Hungaroton Producer: Hungaroton Records, Budapest Liner Notes: Szelényi István Cover Design: Győző Varga Photography: Gyula Holics Recording Country: Hungary
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