The violin-violoncello duo genre reached its peak in the 20th century, with Zoltán Kodály's Duo being a key work that influenced many other Hungarian composers.
Composer Biography
Miklós Rózsa, a composer on this album, became one of the most successful film composers in his time in Los Angeles, winning three Oscars and writing the music for "Ben Hur."
Composition History
Miklós Rózsa's Tema con variazioni, featured on this album, is the second movement of his Sinfonia Concertante and was dedicated to violin virtuoso Jascha Heifetz and cellist Gregor Piatigorsky.
Composer Biography
Mátyás Seiber, a composer featured on this album, was influenced by Zoltán Kodály, Bartók, Schoenberg, and especially jazz, even leading the world's first academic jazz class in Frankfurt.
Historical Context
The genre of duo for violin and violoncello is rare in music history, with its origins speculated to be due to the lack of a viola or harpsichord.
Composer Biography
György Ligeti's "Hommage à Hilding Rosenberg," a piece on this album, was a birthday present for Swedish musician and composer Hilding Rosenberg, whom Ligeti knew from his time as a guest professor in Stockholm.
Composer Biography
Zoltán Székely, a composer and violinist on this album, is known as the dedicatee of Bartók's Second Violin Concerto and was the first violinist of the Hungarian String Quartet for 35 years.
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Pas de deux
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