Bartók Béla, ifj.: Chronicles of Béla Bartók's Life (Budapest, 2021)
World War II. Second and Third American Tour (1939–1945)
WORLD WAR II. SECOND AND THIRD AMERICAN TO U R ( 1 9 3 9 - 1 9 4 5 ) 1939 settlings of accounts, informing them at the same time of his intention to leave. - He travels to Italy with Ede Zathureczky. 30 March - In Parma they play Mozarts Sonata in A major and Brahms’ in G major among other things. “My 2nd Rhapsody got hissed out. We played in front of 200 people, in a theatre seating 2,000 (but maybe they were only 100)” - he writes his wife the following day. 31 March - He leaves Parma with Zathureczky for Milan where the programme is Mozarts Sonata in A major, Brahms’ G major, Bartok’s Rhapsody No. 2, Hungarian Folk Songs (transcription of pieces from For Children by Országh), Sonatina (Gertler’s transcription) with Zathureczky, and in solo Rondo No. 1, Evening in Transylvania, Bear Dance, Dirge No. 1, Allegro barbaro. 1 April - In Florence they repeat the programme of the previous day. - Starting with this day the Bartoks’ Western agent is Andor Schulhof. 2 April - He writes a short letter to his son Péter. 3 April - Bartok leaves Florence. He gets off in Orvieto (Umbria) for 3 hours, he goes sightseeing and writes a postcard to his sister; then proceeding to Rome he writes a postcard to his son Béla with the picture of Florence train station, for which he has praises unlike for the uncomfortable Italian trains. 4 April - In the Sala di Santa Cecilia of Rome they repeat the Parma programme. 5 April - In Venice Bartok meets pianist Ottó Herz. - He buys his train ticket to as far as Kotoriba for his trip home. 8 April - After his wife’s arrival in Venice they perform Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussions at the Fenice Theatre. (The programme doesn’t mention even the names of the six percussionists who played instead of the usual two.) Beside the Sonata Bartok plays Rhapsody, conducted by Nino Sanzogno. - He writes Mrs Müller-Widmann at length expressing his regret that they couldn’t meet in Basel: “we had to learn a difficult piece. Stravinsky’s Concerto for 2 Pianos!” He 439
