Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1988. január-június (42. évfolyam, 1-26. szám)
1988-03-10 / 10. szám
Thursday, March 10. 1988. AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZO Bartók: Greatness Beyond Time VISITING HUNGARY A musician recently raised a question that sounded simple enough - "What is Bartok's place in history?" - but it had many ramifications. How do we evaluate and prize greatness of composers in this century? Do we measure them against the eternal exemplars, against Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and others more than a century away? Do we look too hard, asking the wrong questions, searching always for "masterpieces", whatever that may mean, for reasons we may not clearly understand? Two weeks ago the San Francisco Symphony played his one ballet, "The Miraculous Mandarin", but that and about three other Bartók pieces including his greatest works, the Sixth String Quartet is played nowadays. The six quartets not only used to be played individually with regularity but on numerous occasions were presented as a cycle in paired programs. The Budapest, Juilliard, Bartók, Hungarian and other string quartets toured with the Bartók quartets. The drop-off of performer interest in the Bartók quartets today is probably more a momentary phase, a swing of taste and aesthetic preference rather than a measure of their essential and lasting value. At the big post-war turning point, at mid-century a few years after his death in 1945, the Bartók quartets were influencing composers of every stylistic stripe and nationality. Musicians were caught up by Bartok's tremendous rhythmic charge, his different ways of compressing and releasing energy. They were fascinated by the worlds of new and possible textures he opened up, by his way of liberating dissonance, by the freedom with which he explored new string-playing techniques, and not as experiments either. The passages, musically incorporated into the pieces, have the players snappig the string violently and the episodes of fast glissandos will still startle the uninitiated. No more elements of Bartok's style, however innovative and influential they were at the time, meant as much as the totality of each quartet as a beautifully formed work of art as an artistic statement. The profound recognition of that, I believe, actually inspired composers to go on composing chamber music in the new idioms, to hear and believe in the possibilities. If Bartók could do it - utilizing the idioms he inherited, that he searched out as a pioneer collector of folk music and synthesized into his own language, and in the face of all the confusing problems modern music presented - so could they. So Bartók did not influence composers in the traditional way. No school was formed in his wake. His music simply inspired by artistic example. Trudging back through history, almost every composer regarded as a master will be found to have suffered periods of oversight, neglect and even total silence. The only reasonable conclusion is that by whatever processes eminent status and an ultimate historical position are assigned or descend upon a composer, the ebb and flow of popularity may have very little to do with the case. Long live Bartók. Robert Commanday "Do you like to chat? Do you want to know more about Hungary and the Hungarians? Come and spend an evening at the International Youth Club." That's the invitation extended by the Hungarian Peace Council, which runs a club (Budapest V., Karolyi M. u. 9) where young people from abroad are welcome to meet their Hungarian counterparts between July 1 and Aug 15. The venture's now four years old. Every evening except Sundays the club's open from 5 to 11 pm, and some interesting people can certainly be met: Olympic champions, artists, journalists, churchmen, doctors, and representatives of the Hungarian peace movement. Young/ visitors learn from them something of the' social, economic and cultural affairs and the foreign policy objectives of the country they're visiting. But these informal discussions are just one side of what the club offers: the latest Hungarian films with English subtitles, a weekly jazz session, rock, video discos and DIY Hungarian folksong and folk dancing. Often there's a surprise extra or two on the programme. Access: Metro 3 or numerous buses to Felszabadulás tér. It's worth giving the club a ring to find out what's on. The number's (361) 129-482 * * HILLTOP HOPS. Last summer a new entertainment spot for young people in Budapest proved highly popular. The square in front of the Liberation Monument on top of Gellert Hill was turned into a music terrace for up to 500 people, open between May 1 and Oct. 1 every night. The offerings 'include jazz, rock, trad, revues and mime. Then comes non-stop disco after 10 pm. The entrance is a modest Ft 50-60 (a few cents over $1). Those who are hungry or thirsty can choose from inexpensive refreshments, beer, sandwiches and parfaits. And 130 metres above the Danube, the view of Budapest is breathtaking. Access: No. 27 bus from Móricz Zsigmond körtér. Further information: Belvárosi Művelődési és Ifjúsági Ház, Budapest V., Molnár u. 9. Tel: (361) 175-928. FESTIVAL CLUB. During the Budapest Spring Festival, the International Festival Club wiU be open at the Horticultural University in Budapest (KEK). The address is: Budapest XI., Villányi út 35. Hungarian and foreign pop and rock groups will appear, and there'll be video discos, friendly meetings, and a dance club with folkdance tuition. If you're from abroad, wave your passport to get in. IN MEMÓRIÁM MARGARET ROSOV beloved wife and poet Robert Rosov 15.
