Bartók Béla, ifj.: Chronicles of Béla Bartók's Life (Budapest, 2021)
Great Concert Tours on Two Continents (1922–1931)
1928 CHRONICLES OF BÉLA BARTOK'S LIFE 29 February - At noon in New York he boards the ship “George Washington”, and leaves for home. Pablo Casals is also travelling on board this ship. 1 March - From aboard the “George Washington” he sends a telegram about his safe departure to Budapest. Between 1 and 7 March - On the Atlantic. 8 March - He arrives in Cherbourg, from where he sends a telegram about his probable arrival in Budapest, and proceeds to Paris. 10 March - He arrives in Budapest. 11 March - He sends a telegram to his sister about having arrived home. 16 March - He gives a recital at the Music Institute of Higher Education (Music Academy). Programme: Rossis Toccata in A minor, Mozarts Phantasy in C minor, Beethovens Sonatas in F major and A flat major, Kodály’s Epitaph and 2 numbers from Op. 3, of his own compositions The Nights Music, Suite, and Rumanian Dance No. 1. 18 March - The Philharmonic Society presents Piano Concerto No. 1 for the first time in Hungary at a public stage rehearsal, with Bartok at the piano and Ernő Dohnányi conducting. 19 March - Official Hungarian premiere of Piano Concerto No. 1. The widowed Mrs Béla Bartok and Mrs Emil Tóth also arrived in Budapest for the concert. Bartok writes Ernő Balogh about the concert 1 or 2 days later: “The Pest orchestra and Dohnányi did their best, it was an excellent performance by European standards, which I hadn’t even expected”. 23 March - He travels to Cologne, where on the 24th they have the first rehearsal for Piano Concerto No. 1, about which he writes his mother: “We had the first rehearsal today, it went quite well, but I think the performance will not be as good as in Pest”. 26 March - Public stage rehearsal, on the 27th performance as part of the Cologne Gürzenich-Konzert, conducted by Hermann Abendroth. 29 March - He writes from Budapest to ITHMA and to the Bechstein firm. 278
