Hungarian pianist Dénes Várjon and New Zealand String Quartet present Bartók’s early piano quintet in a dramatic and powerful work super-charged with expressivity, showing the influences of Brahms, Debussy, Liszt and Strauss and the beginnings of Bartók’s fascination with folk music. To the best of our knowledge this is a New Zealand premiere.
But first up is Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody ‘Héroïde-élégiaque’, setting the heady tone for the delights to come.
Liszt – Hungarian Rhapsody No 5 ‘Héroïde-élégiaque’ – Izabella Simon
Bartók – Piano Quintet in C major – Dénes Várjon (piano), New Zealand String Quartet