Béla Bartók
Béla Bartók (March 25, 1881 - September 26, 1945) was a Hungarian composer and pianist. Bartók was inspired by folk music from his native country and by folk music from other parts of the world. Vociferously opposed to fascism Bartók moved to the USA in 1940 where he died in 1945 shortly after completing his third piano concerto.
Bartók used to collect folk songs and use them in his compositions. In my case I collect folk lore of a verbal kind, from the street or from the people immediately surrounding the world of the group, and convert them into a musical reference.[1]
Zappa owned a recording of the the 2nd and 3rd piano concertos about which he enthused:
Also you ought to get Béla Bartók's first, second and third piano concertos, which are all very groovy and good to dance to. I have the version on Westminster (18277)[2] by Edith Farnadi with the Vienna State Opera Orchestra. I've never heard any other version of the second and third piano concertos so I don't know whether or not that's the best recording. It might not even be available.[3] I heard another version of the first at Andy Kulberg's, of the Blues Project, who has an extensive collection of modern music.[4]
The Third Piano Concerto was one of Zappa's selection when he appeared on Castaway's Choice describing it as "I think it is one of the most beautiful melodies ever written". Nigey Lennon recalled:
"The first time I heard the main melody in the first movement of this thing, I almost (now don't laugh) cried," he said with a fierce shyness when he put on the record, just daring me to snicker.[5]
Zappa's 1988 band would perform an arrangement of the theme From "The Bartok Piano Concerto #3" recording it for Make A Jazz Noise Here and Zappa '88: The Last U.S. Show.
Notes
- ↑ Frank Zappa - Zappa – The Great Satirist
- ↑ This was the 1956 reissue of 1954's Westminster WL 5249 which was a reissue of the French issue on Vega C-30-A-164 also from 1954.
- ↑ The recording can be streamed on Apple Music and Spotify.
- ↑ - Frank Zappa, My Favorite Records, 1967
- ↑ Being Frank - My Time With Frank Zappa
