Bartók Béla, ifj.: Chronicles of Béla Bartók's Life (Budapest, 2021)
Great Concert Tours on Two Continents (1922–1931)
GREAT CONCERT TOURS ON TWO CONTINENTS (1 922-1 931 ) 1929 Robsons piece “is entitled ‘The Scabby Girl’. But this title was not permitted to be announced in Hungarian, only in the original French Ta galeuse’, thinking that the esteemed radio audience would surely not understand it”. 30 December - In his last letter preceding his trip to the Soviet Union, he writes his mother and aunt his probable program and the addresses they could write to. 1929 1 January - Warsaw. “I arrived here safely” - he writes his mother and aunt. 2 January - From Moscow he writes to his mother and aunt and to his wife while waiting for 7 hours. “I arrived here in real Russian weather ... Maupassant is right about having to come here in the dead of winter (just like in the very middle of summer to Africa); then the country is at its most characteristic”. In the evening he proceeds to Harkov. 4 January - From Harkov he writes his mother and aunt that the program is totally different from the previous plans, in Harkov he will play on the 5th and on the 6th (the first of these got cancelled, just like the planned concert in Kiev). 6 January - His first concert in the Soviet Union is held at the Great Hall of the Harkov State Library. Programme: Ballad and Old Dance Tunes from 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs, 3 Burlesques, 3 pieces from the series Out of Doors, Preludio-AlVUngherese from 9 Small Piano Pieces, Sonata, Suite, Allegro barbaro, 1st series of Kolindas, and Dirge No. 1, besides Kodály ’s Epitaph and Piano Music Op. 3. 7 January - He writes his wife still from Harkov. 9 January - Second concert at Hall Miscragy of Odessa. He performs Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2 with Polish violinist Stefan 289
