Together with Stravinsky and Schönberg, Hungarian Béla Bartók belonged to those important composers who had a formative, directive influence on the music of the first half of the twentieth century. He was inspired by the archaic rhythms and keys of his Hungarian home country to create a new kind of musical language that seemed somewhat disturbing upon first hearing. The music theoretician and composer Theodor W. Adorno commented: “Something from this truly archaic, revolutionary folklore lives on in Bartók – and he is irksome for its sake.”

However, just a few years after his death, Bartók’s works were dominating the international concert programs in the contemporary music category.

The recordings featured on this compilation were made between 1940 and 1959 and include Bartók‘s Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste, Concerto for Orchestra and the three Piano Concertos. The compilation also includes an award-winning production of Bartók‘s one and only opera, Bluebeard‘s Castle.

Bartók‘s Contrasts is an integral part of the collection (the trio was commissioned by Benny Goodman and Joseph Szigeti) together with a selection of his famous string quartets in the legendary recordings made with the Végh Quartet. The composer himself recorded Microcosmos, one of the most important educational, artistic works for piano.

The world-class musicians featured on the recordings guarantee equally exciting and interpretations and include such illustrious names as Yehudi Menuhin, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Julius Katchen, Géza Anda and Benny Goodman. The star conductors include Ferenc Fricsay, Wilhelm Furtwängler and Rafael Kubelík.

Contents:
CD 1
- Concerto for Orchestra
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Rafael Kubelík (1959)
 
CD 2
- Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste
RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester / Ferenc Fricsay (1952)

- Dance Suite
Philharmonia Orchestra, Igor Markevich (1954)
 
CD 3
- Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra
Andor Foldes (piano), RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester / Ferenc Fricsay (1951)

- Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion
 Béla Bartók (piano), Ditta Pasztory-Bartók (piano), Harry J Baker (percussion), Edward J Rubsan (percussion) (1940)
 
CD 4
- Piano Concertos Nos 2 & 3
Géza Anda (piano), RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester / Ferenc Fricsay (1953)
Julius Katchen (piano), Orchestre de la Suisse Romande / Ernest Ansermet (1953)
 
CD 5
- String Quartets Nos 2-4
Végh Quartet (1954)
 
CD 6
- Divertimento for String Orchestra
Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester / Ferenc Fricsay (1953)

- Sonata for Solo Violin
Yehudi Menuhin (violin) (1947)
 
CD 7
- Microcosmos (excerpts)
Béla Bartók (piano), Julius Katchen (piano) (1940, 1952)
 
CD 8
- Violin Concerto No.2
Yehudi Menuhin (violin), Philharmonia Orchestra / Wilhelm Furtwängler (1953)

- Two Portraits
Steven Staryk (violin), Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Rafael Kubelík (1959)

CD 9
- For Children (Part I)
Géza Anda (piano) (1954)

- Contrasts for Violin, Clarinet and Piano
Benny Goodman (clarinet), Joseph Szigeti (violin), Béla Bartók (piano) (1940)
 
CD 10
- Bluebeard’s Castle
Hertha Töpper, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin / Ferenc Fricsay (1958)