Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

A gala concert was organized at the Baku State Philharmonic Hall to mark the 135th birth anniversary of Bela Bartok, the great Hungarian composer.

World-famous violinist Graf Mourja, pianist György Oravecz and singer Andrea Joros-Brassoi performed at the event, Azertac reported.

The gala concert was organized by the Hungarian Embassy in Baku.

Also, an exhibition titled “Micro cosmos: An introduction to the world of Bela Bartok” – was arranged as part of the concert.

Bela Bartok, known as “the genius of the 20th century” is regarded as one of the Hungary's greatest composers.

The composer masterly combined folk music, classicism, and modernism. Most of his early compositions were a mix of nationalism and romanticism. His melodies were deeply influenced by the folk music of Hungary, Romania, Turkey and especially Bulgarian music.

His major musical works include orchestra, string quartets, piano solos, an opera, a cantata, some ballets, and several folk songs for voice and piano.

The significance of Bartok lies in four major areas of music—composition, performance, pedagogy, and ethnomusicology.

As a composer of a stature equaled by few in the first half of the 20th century, he fused the essence of Hungarian and related folk music with traditional music to achieve a style that was at once nationalistic and deeply personal.

As a pianist he gave concerts all over the world, disseminating the newer Hungarian music. As a teacher he helped train generations of pianists, both Hungarian and foreign. And as an ethnomusicologist he was one of the first to examine folk music with attention to its historical and sociological implications.

Though Bartok's music was infrequently performed outside Hungary during his lifetime, many of his compositions, including the string quartets and the Concerto for Orchestra, later entered the standard concert repertory. Within a quarter century after his death, many of Bartok’s works had been recognized as belonging among the classics of Western music.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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