Bartok Piano Concerto no.2

Lately I have been discovering the Piano Concertos of Bartok. For far too many years I have held these works in low esteem.....but now no more! I have discovered how much I truly love all the works of this great master and these concertos are really quite marvelous! It helps to understand his music from a Hungarian point of view. Common in Hungarian folk music is the use of the whole tone scale(i.e. c-d-e-f#-g#-a#-c) and Bartok took full advantage of this tone row. We are more familiar with our major and minor modes that are made up of eight tones(i.e. c-d-e-f-g-a-b-c[major mode]). Listening to Bartok's music without understanding the whole tone scale will leave the listener rather confused. Though the music sounds dissonant, Bartok never abandoned tonality. Getting to know his music is a very rewarding experience....perhaps the most rewarding of any Twentieth Century composer(with the possible exception being the works of the Second Vienna School[Schoenberg, Webern,Berg]).

Give this music a chance....it will not hurt your ears!