Concerto

The performance premiered as part of the Bartók Spring International Arts Weeks, organized by Müpa Budapest, in collaboration with the Szeged Contemporary Ballet.

The content and form of the composition are inseparable from the personal and emotional state Bartók was in during 1943, while living in the United States. At that time, he was suffering from a persistent, feverish illness, having been forced to leave Hungary, tormented by homesickness, and deeply worried about the fate of his homeland and Europe due to the spread of fascism. As a result, he experienced a creative paralysis and did not compose for three years. Then came the commission for an orchestral work, which reached him while he was still in the hospital. Into the music he poured all his fever dreams, pain, and bitterness — yet also, sparked by the creative revival the work brought him, his love of life and optimism.

The performance also brings Bartók to life on stage as a character. His well-known operatic figures appear before him in visions, alongside their counterparts: Bluebeard, the Mandarin, and the Wooden Prince. The visions and messages expressed in his music are brought to life visually, according to the choreographer’s concept. Tamás Juronics creates a powerful visual world, drawing especially on Bartók’s obsessive interest in insects to conjure a Kafkaesque atmosphere. The motif of insects becomes a tool for representing allegorical figures such as the homeland, music, evil, war, and a patron saint. The symbolism and expressionism that define the piece are among the most characteristic elements of both Bartók’s theatrical works and the spirit of the era itself.