Székely and Bartók : the story of a friendship / Claude Kenneson.

Author/creator Kenneson, Claude
Format Book
Publication InfoPortland, OR : Amadeus Press, 1994.
Descriptionxv, 491 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Subjects

Contents Foreword -- Preface -- 1903-1923. Village life in Hungary ; The Franz Liszt Academy of Music ; Jeno Hubay and Zoltan Kodaly ; Alliance with Bela Bartok ; A stellar season, 1921-22 ; Off to Holland ; With Bartok in Holland ; A tour to Spain -- 1924-1937. The festival at Venice ; The "Michelangelo" Stradivarius ; The year of the rhapsodies ; In Hungary with Bartok ; From London to Warsaw ; The Bartoks in Santpoort -- 1938-1945. The new Hungarian String Quartet ; Paris and North Africa ; Bartok's new masterpiece ; Occupied Holland -- 1946-1972. The Beethoven cycle ; New York debut ; Southern California ; Aspen ; Australia ; Alberta ; "Exit without tears" -- 1973-1993. The Banff years ; Farewell to Budapest ; The academy of string quartets -- Appendix A. Bela Bartok letters ; B. Performance practice ; C. Members of the Hungarian String Quartet ; D. Compositions and first performances by Zoltan Szekely ; E. Discography.
Abstract Szekely's story--his childhood in rural Hungary, his rise to fame as a concert violinist, his involvement in the new music movement in prewar Europe, and his work with the Hungarian String Quartet--unfolds through the violinist's own recollections and those of his wife, Mientje, and other longtime colleagues. Bartok's profound influence on Szekely's life and work reveals itself through Szekely's voice and in correspondence. This book provides an intimate view of concert life in mid-twentieth-century Europe among such artists as Ravel, Dohnanyi, Hindemith, Milhaud, Honegger, Castlenuovo-Tedesco, Kodaly, and others. The book contains previously unpublished Bartok letters, Szekely's firsthand accounts of Bartok's interpretive preferences, comprehensive listings of Szekely's compositions and first performances, and the complete story of the Hungarian String Quartet from its founding in Budapest in 1935 to the final concert at Dartmouth College in 1972. From 1973 to 1993, Szekely's role as violinist-in-residence at the Banff Centre in Canada was the culmination of a long and distinguished career, and helped establish the institution as a world center for chamber music study. Written from personal recollections and original documents and research, this book is destined to occupy a prominent position in the chamber music literature.
Bibliography noteDiscography: pages 432-443.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references (pages 475-478) and index.
LCCN 93033524
ISBN0931340705

Availability

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Music Closed Stacks - Ask at Circulation Desk ML418.S87 K46 1994 ✔ Available Place Hold