Bartók Béla, ifj.: Chronicles of Béla Bartók's Life (Budapest, 2021)
School Years (1890–1903)
1900 CHRONICLES OF BÉLA BARTOK'S LIFE 28 January - “... I returned the Rheingold to Mr Thomán... Now I am making a study of the Walkyries; this is much more beautiful than even the Rheingold ” - he writes his mother. He gives an account of the feud between Jenő Hubay and Dohnányi, and also of the Hubay- Popper Quartet not performing Dohnányi ’ s quartet. 1 -4 February - Its school holidays at the Music Academy, but Bartok still goes to Thomán on the 2nd to play him etudes. At Emil Sauers farewell concert in the evening he is surprised that Sauer refrains again from playing Beethoven or Bach. 3 February - In a letter he gives an account of the previous days to his mother, namely that the pupils’ box in the Opera is still not open to them, and that this time he hasn’t received a scholarship, only an encouragement to apply for it. 7 February - Philharmonic concert conducted by Sándor Erkel and István Kerner. Following Rieger’s Serenade, Klotild Kleeber plays Saint- Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 4; Swedish singer Margit Petersen sings “very poorly“. Sgambati’s Symphony in D major is also performed. 15 February - He goes to a stage rehearsal at the Academy, on the 16th to a concert of the Hubay-Popper Quartet, on the 17th to the performance of Carmen at the Opera House. 18 February - He writes a letter to his mother, then goes to the concert of the Grünfeld-Bürger Quartet; they perform Schumann’s Quintet among other things. “Szendy played the piano very forcefully.” 22 February - Another concert of the Grünfeld-Bürger Quartet, with the participation of Zsófia Menter in Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio among other things. Bartok likes neither the program nor the performance. 24 February - He listens to Mariska Komáromi and Ilona Bárdossy ’s concert in the afternoon and the performance of Magic Flute at the Opera House in the evening. 24 and 25 February - In two long letters he gives his mother accounts of the latter concerts and of Opera Intendant Count István Keglevich 36
