Bartók Béla, ifj.: Chronicles of Béla Bartók's Life (Budapest, 2021)
Great Concert Tours on Two Continents (1922–1931)
1927 CHRONICLES OF BÉLA BARTOK'S LIFE 27 June - He leaves Davos for Frankfurt am Main. 29 June - He listens to an opera by Busoni, then attends a 520-person reception. 1 July - At the Opera House of Frankfurt, world premiere of Piano Concerto No. 1, conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler. - His contract for gramophone recordings with the New York De Luxe Reproducing Roll Corporation was dated on this day, fictitiously in Budapest. Around 3 July he returns to Davos, writing on the 5th to Universal Edition, on the 14th to ITHMA. 15 July - Before leaving Davos, he writes his mother about the “fixed” concerts of the following season. He lists ten concerts, of which 7 was later cancelled. 16 July - He travels to Baden-Baden, where he plays Sonata for Piano at a matinee with great success, in the afternoon he attends the presentation of works for mechanical piano and mechanical organ, and “ ‘Lichtbild’ (= projection) presentations in the evening, with music recorded on film (this is a new invention, it already sounds at least as good as the better quality gramophones)” - he will write his mother in his letter of 22 July from Davos. 17 July - He leaves Baden-Baden for Davos where he arrives in the evening. 23 July - He writes a letter to his sister and sends a package for his son Péter s birthday in Szöllős Puszta; writes ITHMA again. 24 July - Letter to Universal Edition. 30 July - His wife writes on a picture postcard depicting the 2,715-metre high Peak Schiahord: “This is the rocky mountain Béla enjoys climbing”. Bartok weighs 52.6 kgs, which is considered appropriate. 1 August - National holiday of Switzerland. According to Mrs Bartoks account “it was really beautiful”. 2 August - Longish letter to his sister in Szöllős Puszta about their mother s ailments and the things deemed necessary to do. 3 August - Postcard to Ernő Balogh then sojourning in Switzerland. 266
