Bartók, Ligeti and Others: Works for Violin & Viola Nurit Stark

• Béla Bartók (1881 - 1945): Sonata for Violin Solo, Sz. 117:
• 1 Bartók: Sonata for Violin Solo, Sz. 117: I. Tempo di ciaccona 09:57
• 2 Bartók: Sonata for Violin Solo, Sz. 117: II. Fuga. Risoluto, non troppo vivo 04:40
• 3 Bartók: Sonata for Violin Solo, Sz. 117: III. Melodia. Adagio 07:30
• 4 Bartók: Sonata for Violin Solo, Sz. 117: IV. Presto 05:08
• György Ligeti (1923 - 2006): Sonata for Viola Solo:
• 5 Ligeti: Sonata for Viola Solo: I. Hora lungă 06:18
• 6 Ligeti: Sonata for Viola Solo: II. Loop 02:11
• 7 Ligeti: Sonata for Viola Solo: III. Facsar 06:53
• 8 Ligeti: Sonata for Viola Solo: IV. Prestissimo con sordino 01:34
• 9 Ligeti: Sonata for Viola Solo: V. Lamento 03:59
• 10 Ligeti: Sonata for Viola Solo: VI. Chaconne chromatique 03:26
• Sándor Veress (1907 - 1992): Sonata for Violin Solo:
• 11 Veress: Sonata for Violin Solo: I. Allegro 03:44
• 12 Veress: Sonata for Violin Solo: II. Adagio 05:23
• 13 Veress: Sonata for Violin Solo: III. Allegro molto 03:21
• Péter Eötvös (b. 1944): Adventures of the Dominant Seventh Chord:
• 14 Eötvös: Adventures of the Dominant Seventh Chord 12:49
• Total Runtime 01:16:53

Info for Bartók, Ligeti and Others: Works for Violin & Viola

The works on this album were written between 1935 and 2019 by four Hungarian composers: Béla Bartók, who was the teacher of Sándor Veress, who taught György Ligeti, who in turn was an early but formative influence on Péter Eötvös. Their compositions all share the idea of a dialogue between cultured and popular elements, between a Western music tradition and folk music, particularly of Eastern Europe. This idea was formulated in the early 20th century by Bartók himself, who considered the use of folk elements in a piece of art music not only as a tool to revitalize the Classical tradition but also as a mean to unite different cultures.

In the works recorded here, the dialogue is manifested in various ways, for instance through references to Baroque idioms and forms as well as folk styles in the solo sonatas by Bartók and Ligeti. In the case of Adventures of the Dominant Seventh Chord by Péter Eötvös it is the dominant seventh chord that stands as a symbol of Western tonality. Recurring frequently, the chord never reaches the expected resolution, however – instead it is confronted with non-tonal materials inspired by the folk music of Eastern Europe. Based in Germany, the violinist Nurit Stark was born in Israel into a family which hails from Romania. Peter Eötvös’s work – which was written for her – therefore provides the perfect ending to this very personal project, dealing with the ability of music to cross cultural, geographical and ideological borders.

Nurit Stark, violin, viola

Nurit Stark
was born in Israel, and received her musical education in Tel Aviv, Berlin and Cologne with Ilan Gronich, Haim Taub and the Alban Berg Quartet. Since her first soloist appearance at the age of 16, playing Paganini’s First Violin Concerto with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, she has gone on to perform with orchestras worldwide. As a chamber musician, she has had formative collaborations with, in particular, pianist Cédric Pescia and soprano Caroline Melzer, with whom she has appeared at festivals such as the Lockenhaus Kammermusikfest, Schleswig-Holstein, Rheingau, Wien Modern and Donaueschinger Musiktage.Nurit Stark’s passion for contemporary music has led her to perform world premières and to collaborate with composers Sofia Gubaidulina, György Kurtág, Viktor Suslin, Peter Eötvös, Carola Bauckholt, Jennifer Walshe, Younghi Pagh-Paan, Isabel Mundry and Georg Nussbaumer. She has also participated in avant-garde stage projects combining music & theater (Burgtheater Vienna, Schaubühne and Volksbühne Berlin, Bobigny Paris) and has, together with visual artists Isabel Robson and Susanne Vincenz, created Roundhouse Reverb, a video installation to the music of Kurtág. Nurit Stark has received support from the Ernst von Siemens, Forberg-Schneider and Otto and Régine Heim foundations, and is a prizewinner in the George Enescu, Leopold Mozart and Ibolyka Gyarfas competitions. In 2019 she was appointed professor of violin at the Stuttgart State University of Music and the Performing Arts.

Booklet for Bartók, Ligeti and Others: Works for Violin & Viola