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Dénes Várjon plays Béla Bartók
Béla Bartók

Dénes Várjon plays Béla Bartók

Dénes Várjon

Label: CAvi
Format: CD
Barcode: 0028948679799
barcode
Catalog number: AVI 4867979
Releasedate: 07-11-25

- Dénes Várjon (57) is regarded as one of the most knowledgable artist of Béla Bartók's music, himself being Hungarian: "At least for me, Bartók is next to Mozart and Beethoven the most important composer!."
- His new recital is one of the very few purely to Bartók asigned prjects
- Béla Bartók conducted many field studies, traveling throughout the country and having people sing old Hungarian songs and melodies to him, which he then wrote down.

Bartók, for me, is truly one of the most important composers

“Bartók, for me, is truly one of the most important composers, on a par with Beethoven and Mozart.”  In our interview about the piano works on this album, Hungarian pianist Dénes Várjon constantly  expressed deep admiration, a keen understanding of this music, and a strong affinity with the composer’s personality. For this musician, bringing Bartók closer to the audience as a person and  an artist is a labour of love. ”I grew up with his music. It feels like a mother tongue to me. And I’m  interested in everything he wrote, from the earliest works to the late ones. It’s so important to see the traditions he came from and to understand how he found his voice as a composer.”

Várjon notes that Bartók was fascinated by the simplicity and sincerity of the people who sang these songs to him. Those two traits probably corresponded with Bartók’s own personality as an artist and a human being. “When I look at photos of him, what I see is a simple, sincere man; there seems to be nothing false or hypocritical in his character.

He also seems highly vulnerable. Bartók spoke slowly, quite naturally, but not much. He never tried to put on a show to win his audience’s favour. He was truly an authentic person. At the same time, he had the energy and temperament of a volcano rumbling inside him – an energy he harnessed with an astounding amount of sheer discipline. The result was a high degree of fascinating, unresolved tension. Bartók, like Schubert, is one of the composers I find the most moving.”
(Excerpts from an interview in the booklet)