Bluesmen's World(Music)

"Whenever I listened to vocal performances of Bartók's folk adaptations, I was always disturbed by the manner of the performance. I had the sense that I have to overcome the obstacle of convention in order not to be separated from the genuine Bartókean message. (...) Therefore I made up my mind to re-publish these adaptations in such a way that they retain both their etnologic and artistic authenticity. (...)
In the course of rehersals for tis CD, I became increasingly convinced that the musical world - the exploration of which Bartók called the happiest time of his life - entirely dwelled not only in his soul but also in his mind and in his music from note to note, though much of it has not been recorded in his scores. (...) He simply knew that he has no opportunity to have these tunes performed on stage the very same way he had collected them and how they echoed in his mind and in the imaginary ideal performances of his compositions. I am almost certain that if he could, Bartók would have followed the style and ornamentation of the collected folk tunes in the most faithful way, paying careful attention to even the slightest minutiae. By assembling this CD, we pursued this Bartokean dream. This very same dream was what had previously motivated the foundres of the dance house movement, I consider it fairly appropriate to fulfill Bartók's dreams through the publication of his adapations also. Beside Bartók's sheet music, the present record is based on the contemporaneous vocal performances of the original folksongs he had collected and composed adaptations of. Except from the emphatic first and last pieces, the pieces on the present record have been grouped according to the three already published cycles, with special attention to the order Bartók himself had assembled for his concerts. The spelling of the Hungarian lyrics is based on the spelling of the sheet music."

Kelemen László

01. Juhászcsúfoló / Shepherd's mocking song
02. Elindultam szép hazámbul / Far behind I left my country
03. Általmennék én a Tiszán ladikon / By the river I will take a little boat
04. Nem messze van ide kis Margitta / Lies a village hidden in this valley
05. Végigmentem a tárkányi sej, haj, nagy uccán / Brisk and early, long before the noise of day began
06. Fehér László lovat lopott / László Fehér stole a stallion
07. A gyulai kert alatt, kert alatt / In the summer fields a fine harvest groves
08. Fekete főd, fehér az én zsebkendőm / Snow-white kerchief, dark both field and furrow show
09. Istenem, istenem, áraszd meg a vizet / Coldly runs the river, reedy banks o'erflowing
10. Töltik a nagy erdő útját / All the lads to war they've taken
11. Ha kimegyek arr'a magos tetőre / If I climb the rocky mountains all day through
12. Asszonoyk, asszonyok, had' legyek társatok / Women, women, listen, let me share your labour
13. Eddig való dolgom a tavaszi szántás / Spring begins with labour; then's the time for sowing
14. Annyi bánat a szűvemen / Skies above are heavy with rain
15. Olvad a hó, csárdás kis angyalom, tavasz akar lenni / Snow is melting, oh; my dear, my darling...
16. Pár-ének / Pair-song
17. Régi keserves / Old Lament
18. Bujdosó-ének / Wandering Song
19. Panasz / Complaint
20. "Hatforintos" nóta / "Six-forints" Song
21. Pásztornóta / Sheperd's Song
22. Székely "lassú" / Székely "Slow"
23. Székely "friss" / Székely " Fast"
24. A tömlöcben / In Prison

Herczku Ágnes - voice
Djerdj Tímea - piano
Kincses Margit - piano

Link

pass: bluesmen-worldmusic.blogspot.com

Big thanks Frankie for the CD!