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 )

1928

30 March

- He borrows a Modell XIII No. 1812 piano from the Viennese firm Bösendorfer

for

1,800,- pengős,

which

is a very high sum, more than four times his monthly salary.

8 April

(Easter Sunday) - From Budapest he writes Mr N. Krueger regarding Rumanian Dances.

9 April

- Piano recital at Hotel Nemzeti

in

Baja. His programme, beside old Italian composers, contains Mozart s Phantasy in C minor, Beethovens Sonata in F

major

Op. 10, Kodálys

Epitaph

and Allegro molto

from

Op. 3, Chopins Nocturne in C sharp minor, of his own works Bear Dance, Burlesque No. 2, Evening in Transylvania, Rumanian Dance No. 1, and Nos. 6 to 14 of 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs.

11 April

- Letter from Budapest to Vereinigung

für Zeitgenössische Musik in München.

In these

days his mother and Irma Voit

arrived

in Budapest from Szöllős Puszta; they

stay at the Bartoks’ until 15 April, then return home to Pozsony.

15 April

- In his letter Bartok declines János

Busitias

invitation; he is still tired after the concert tour, besides he is in the middle of a great search for a flat, had to renounce even important concert offers. - He writes Edward Clark about his London trip planned for the autumn, and about Universal Edition asking too high a fee in his opinion for the rental material of Rumanian Folk Dances, which he would like to clarify, and for this he is requesting exact data.

Then he leaves for Berlin, arriving there on 18 April at latest.

19 April

- Stage rehearsal of Piano Concerto No. 1.

20 April

- Performance of Piano Concerto No. 1 at the Berlin Kroll Oper, conducted

by Erich Kleiber. “Kleiber is a very capable and very cheerful conductor, beside being strict as well and an excellent musician” - writes Bartok to his wife. Since its world premiere on 1 July 1927 this is the fourteenth performance of Piano Concerto No.

1 (in due succession: Frankfurt, London, Prague, Warsaw, Vienna,

279