Bartók - For Children, (Complete recording)

Here is my new recording, made last weekend, of Bartók’s educational set For Children. The colorful Hungarian title “A Gyermekeknek“ somehow always amuses me. The pieces were penned down in 1908/09, but Bartók revised the set in 1945, towards the end of his life, leaving out 6 pieces and slightly altering others. It is this final version that I play here. The two books are quite different in character. I marginally prefer Book I, based on Hungarian Folk Tunes. These are more ebullient, the colors brighter, than those in Book II, based on Slovak Folk Tunes, which are generally darker and more introspective, at times reminiscent of Janacek (as they ought to be, being Slovak). Both books contain a wealth of great music, and certainly not all of the pieces seen suitable for children - unless they have advanced technique and musicality. I hope my cycle can be enjoyed despite a couple of small read errors (which, obviously and irritatingly, I only noticed during vide