Bartok Violin Solo Sonata: Fuga Gidon Kremer vl.

[cstuart1898]

I am astounded by all the ignorant comments on here! This is truly wonderful and elegant music.

[neildexter29]

1 bow string down. :))

[HokageG]

I just started playing, Its hard for me to even play an open string without hitting two at once lol. I laughed the first 2 minutes of this vid. laughed at its difficulty, the seemly random notes. Its just so beyond me that someone could play this so perfectly!

[dieterammann4]

If someone loves Bach, he should like this Bartok too, as the involved compositional techniques are the same.

[cheesecheesecheesey]

i cant believe anyone could come up woth that. this is not music that composer needs to be forgotten. that is not music

[TomSueLuke]

It's one of those tunes you just can't get out of your head ... I'll be humming this song all night long

[OdinBlueEnergy]

I agree with @WathherofTrends, the purpose of music is to induce emotions... this musinc induces me headaches. The player really thinks he is performing some great inteligent piece of ..thing...

[Calhoun1186]

i think this guy did acid whilst composing music :)

[WatcherofTrends]

To be honest, when I first began listening, I thought it was some elaborate joke where the musician was pretending to play something terrible in a serious manner. After listening further and reading comments, I imagined many pretentious music "aficionados" leaning back in their chairs, listening as though only people of their stature could understand such "genius". I do not find this music to be good, nor do I want to "understand" it. It brings me no emotion or thought, technical or otherwise.

[eternalssunshine]

@WatcherofTrends i feel the same way with modern art-- at least a lot of it.

[olalinds]

@WatcherofTrends

I think you should try harder. As a complex wine or dish, it is not for everyone, and you have to build it up somehow. Not many can go from Mozart to Bartok, but if you listen to a wide variety of music from early folk-music and up until today, you will get a better understanding of music I think. Not all music is served on a silver plate, sometimes you have to "work for it".

[MrElicottero]

@WatcherofTrends I don't think understanding this music has anything to do with pretentiousness. For me it was easy to understand it the very first time I've heard it, I guess I have an ear for Bartok. And I find it to be very emotional, very raw, powerful.

On the other hand, there are quite famous composers that I fail to understand (Mozart and Haydn, for example), but I don't usually call someone pretentious because I don't understand what they do.

[Multiandrei123451]

Im about grade 4-6 now. But it's an interesting piece. :)

[Multiandrei123451]

But im learning it at the moment

[Multiandrei123451]

My teacher Alda Dizdari can play this...

[Mozart99900]

I have his recording to Hungariton labelmof Bartok complete edition . he play it with so impeccable technique and it awarded Grand Prix du Disque

[hennsinn1]

like a play guitar

[Gordancho]

A Genius interpreting another Genius!!!!!

[RichardASalisbury1]

Been listening to Bartok for 55 years, since 14; something grabbed me and has never let go. I listen to him more than any other composer, tho' I revere Bach most of all. Really heard this piece only w/in last 2-3 yrs: my most recent encounter w/ a Bartok masterpiece (but haven't heard my ideal version yet). I agree w/ tjpark0420, except I'd add 1 more B: Britten. In 20th cent. I think he & Bartok are peerless--maybe w/ Shostakovich, whose forbidding music I'm finally starting to "get."

[heinbanjo12]

Pfew!

[jfxc1]

To those who consider the piece 'horrible' give the whole work time to grow upon you! After a few listens through I began to enjoy it more, and find it less alien. It is alas vastly challenging for player and audience. I have never spent more hours of practice on a four minute movement yet I consider the time well spent studying a piece of such technical and musical extremes.

[pickinstone]

@jfxc1 most importantly, listen to Bartok in the same breath of mental thought as Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart and not see them as all mutually exclusive of each other. There's a spectrum for sure, but all tonal music is held together by some cohesion. There are points of resolution in this violin piece, you just have to really listen for them. Just listen to as much good music as possible, Bach was brilliant and so was Bartok. A wise man once told me that all music is tonal. Think about that.

[jfxc1]

@pickinstone

Not entirely sure what your reply to me was all about but hey ho! All music is tonal with the notable exception of atonal music!

[pickinstone]

@jfxc1 My point was the opposite, there is no such thing as atonal compositions. I'm still trying to wrap my head around that, but this private teacher of mine shared this with me. He stated that if your ears are fast enough that you can approximate the tonalities in supposedly jagged melodic content such as Schoenberg. Massive ear training and musicianship are required and that's why it's beyond me. Think about the structures that atonal music revolve around, remember it is still a form.

[jfxc1]

@pickinstone I see. Sorry I did not know that your teacher had told you that. I will pass on the news to the musical community.

[LevonManukyan]

Really great!

[tjpark0420]

I believe Bartok is music for the so called "educated audiences". it's true the music is difficult to absorb first time hearing it (the second viennese school as well for example). But once you start to understand what's written on the manuscript the music starts to sound different and make sense afterall.

For me, Bartok is the last of the 3-B's: Bach, Beethoven and Bartok.

Cheers.

[rdnzl7878]

@tjpark0420 that's right; everyone, please forget Brahms once and for all! he's not in the same league.

[tjpark0420]

Bartok calculated every second while he was composing..Thus he wrote at the end of every movement the exact timing of the time-span of the piece (or even after every line in some pieces!) In the first movement for example (the Ciaconna), the climax of the movement is exactly on the golden ratio, such accuracy gave me shivers when I found out. I could write much more but it's quite difficult to describe with my english. I hope I gave a bit of idea to those who simply say this music is terrible.

[tjpark0420]

Bartok composed this sonata a year before his death (thank you menuhin!).. and this was composed after his concerto for orchestra so therefore is undoubtedly one of his most mature works. I believe the whole sonata itself is for sure one of the most technically and musically challenging works ever written for solo violin (along with bach solo works and paganini caprices).

Bartok composed this piece in USA you hear the influence of jazz with the broke 5ths at around 3:39 and many more..

[rdnzl7878]

we don't need drugs... we have bartok's sonatas for violin and piano

[2300skiddo]

Very interesting interpretation. As if Glenn Gould were playing violin. It can't be really "right," but it brings out things I had never heard before. Astonishing control!

For those who are ranting about how horrid it is, get with it for pity's sake! Bartok was undoubtedly one of the great composers of the last century, and acting like his music is impossibly difficult at this late date only belies musical ignorance.

[Prickterow]

Horrible piece of 'music'.

[pviola314]

agreed

[pviola314]

@nyc11104 It may be explained in two ways. He is either doing it that was as his artistic interpretation of the piece, which considering how strident it is, it's fitting. Or the other explanation: like baroque performance practice, he is just trying to catch the style of Bartok, which is linked to a folk/gypsy style.

[violinista53]

@pviola314 I am not so familiar with the piece, but given that it's a fuga, he may be doing it to bring out some aspect of the voiceleading.

[Billytwotimes4]

This is what it sounds like when you lose half of your brain.

This is mind blowing !

[Farnik01]

@nyc11104 It's called artistic interpretation.

[milstein91]

@Farnik01 artistic expression?hahaha

[chickenmanstan]

Its funny how similar this sounds at first to one of those guitar solo videos where they over dub the soloing with complete crap. Luckily I can only say that in terms of notes. But it was harmonious on many other levels so I still found it easy to listen to.

[violinoamore]

Great playing but very ugly music

[violinista53]

@violinoamore That's a matter of opinion...it may not be beautiful in a traditional sense, nor was it probably intended to be, but I don't feel that makes it "ugly."

[brianlovesfootball]

U played so amazing you broke some now hairs lol. Your a beast

[robatwilkens]

neerly made my head explode

[vivasavonarola]

Thank You very much stanlefo for posting this interesting performance.

[vyvyanos]

respek

[uruson]

This piece certainly has an unusual sound to it.

[38kdd]

just great..