Inspired by Yehudi Menuhin’s playing of Bach’s solo violin sonatas, Bartók’s blend of baroque and folk influences is most evident in the first movement Tempo di ciaccona and the second-movement Fuga. Interesting companion or contrast pieces, in addition to Bach’s masterpieces, are the solo violin sonata of 1919/20 by Bartók’s colleague, Zoltán Székely, and that of 1935 by his pupil Sándor Veress. Bartók’s quarter-tone and third-tone variants to the final movement were excluded from the original edition, but are included in the latest ‘Urtext’ edition.
Note by Malcolm Gillies