| Bartók, Béla (1881-1945) | Concerto pour violon no. 1, Sz 36 | |
| Bartók, Béla (1881-1945) | Concerto pour orchestre, Sz 116 | |
| Bartók, Béla (1881-1945) | Concerto pour violon no. 2, Sz 112 |
| BBC Symphony Orchestra | |
| Peter Eötvös | Direction |
| Renaud Capuçon | Violon |
This is a tour de force from violinist Renaud Capuçon who is performing two of Beethoven's most demanding string quartets the night before this concert and is packing in two of Bartók's violin concertos with an orchestra! These two pieces have nothing in common. Concerto No. 1 (1908) was never performed in Bartók's lifetime. It is intimate and sombre like an internal rhapsody whilst Concerto No. 2 (1937) is like a multi-faceted melody radiating talent. Between the two, the orchestra fulfils the role of soloist for Concerto for Orchestra where each music stand gets its turn in the spotlight. Conductor Peter Eötvös is also a composer: he knows better than anyone how to make the Hungarian master's splendid orchestration ring true.
Pre performance talk: "Bartók's Concertos: Studiedly Popular Music" by Martin Guerpin, Musicologist.
