Bela Bartok

Béla Bartók is recognised as one of the most important composers of the 20th century * Style grew out of romanticism and nationalism to embrace new currents heard in Debussy’s music * Inspired by Hungarian traditional songs and dances which he collected with Kodály * Incorporated folk modes and irregular rhythmic patterns into his highly original scores * Skills as a pianist are apparent in the novel keyboard writing of Piano Concertos Nos.1-3 and Mikrokosmos * A master of instrumentation, as heard in his ravishing ‘night music’ movements * Highly sophisticated musical structures often relying on proportional relationships * String Quartets Nos.1-6 are masterpieces of the genre * Works have been championed by the world’s leading conductors and performers