Kristóf Baráti performs both violin concertos by twentieth-century great Béla Bartók in the Pécs auditorium, renowned for its exceptional acoustics. The poetic playing of the violinist delightfully blends with the virtuosity of the Pannon Philharmonic, under the baton of Tibor Bogányi, to express all the colors of the unique works that make up the program.
The evening opens with Bartók's Violin Concerto No. 1, intense and mysterious—and little known to his contemporaries, as it was entrusted to violinist Stefi Geyer, who kept it hidden until her death. The musicians then perform his two Rhapsodies for violin and orchestra, developed on Hungarian themes, before ending with the famous Violin Concerto No. 2, filled with sublime variations inspired by folk songs, which symbolizes the artistic maturity of the composer.