Catalogue | Piano

The synthesis of modernism and folklore places Béla Bartók’s pianistic works into a special position amongst twentieth century piano music. Nevertheless, they often play a subordinate role in the repertoire of pianists as it is difficult to place them stylistically, and because they present an enormous technical challenge. Both these aspects are connected to the background of Bartók’s personality and his development: Bartók wanted to reconcile folklore and modernism without having to make artistic compromises, and he himself was one of the great pianists of the twentieth century who fashioned the technical design of his music according to his own outstanding manual skills.

This programme, performed by the young French pianist Nicholas Bringuier, presents works by Bartók written between 1909 and 1926. The Romanian Folk Dances op. 8a are powerfully virtuosic examples of a free treatment of folkloristic models within an idiom which is heading towards New Music. His Quatre Nénies op. 9a, on the other hand, internalise ritual folk-tunes for mourning into an expression of melancholy and a strong sense of subjectivity. The Improvisations on Hungarian Peasant Songs are already further removed from these models, whereas the Sonata and the Suite Out of Doors – both written in the “piano year” of 1926 – are dominated by a confident and sharpened idiom of new music. Their intellectual and manual requirements not only make these two works pinnacles of the Classical Modernism of the 1920s, but also provide a fascinating outlook towards further developments in piano music. It takes both a courageous and a superior interpreter to do justice to these works.

Nicolas Bringuier has been a prize winner at several international piano competitions, e. g. the international “Grand Konzerteum” competition in Greece, the “Pro Piano Competition” in New York and the 14th International R. Schumann Piano Competition in Zwickau. Nicolas Bringuier has performed numerous concerts both in his native country and abroad. In 2006 he made his debut at the Salle Gaveau in Paris, in 2007 at the Konzerthaus in Berlin and in 2008 at the Opera Garnier in Monte Carlo. He regularly performs also as soloist with orchestras.

Watch a video about Bringuier, Bartók, piano technique and Bringuier's personal approach to Bartók's music.

• CD Compact | Benjamín Fontvella | January 11, 2009

  Para quienes (como este servidor) consideran a Bartók un músico de igual grandeza que Schönberg o Stravinsky, no hay problema alguno en sus obras...

• Der Reinbeker | Peter Steder | May 17, 2010

  Jazz und Klassik
  „Chesky Records“ gehört unbestritten zu den führenden audiophilen Labels (Vertrieb: inakustik). Die Aufnahmen entstehen nicht im Studio, sondern...

• Diverdi Magazin | Ignacio González Pintos | January 1, 2010

  Festival Bartók
  Gran acercamiento de Nicolás Bringuier al piano del húngaro
  El catálogo para piano solo de Béla Bartók refleja el estilo ecléctico y personal del compositor húngaro, un universo capaz de concentrar...

• Fanfare | James H. North | January 7, 2010

  The Two Romanian Dances is major Bartók: an Allegro Vivace lasting a full five minutes, and a Poco Allegro of four. In dazzling performances, Nicolas...

• Fono Forum | Ingo Harden | November 11, 2009

  Gemischt
  Nach seinem Schumann-Recital legt Audite mit dem 29-jährigen Nicolas Bringuier jetzt eine Bartók-Auswahl vor, die nach einigen frühen Stücken mit...

• Gramophone | Rob Cowan | January 11, 2009

  Effective and elastic Bartok from a pianist who's always alive to colour
  Two of the pianists who Nicolas Bringuier has learnt from in masterclasses are Dimitri Bashkirov and Oleg Maisenberg, gifted colourists whose...

• International Record Review | Mark Tanner | January 10, 2009

  Batòk
  Not yet 30 years of age, French pianist Nicolas Bringuier brings a vivacity to his performances that connects compellingly with the music of Bartók....

• klassik.com | Wendelin Bitzan | November 27, 2009

  Mit Trommeln und Pfeifen
  Beeindruckende stilistische Vielfalt des Klavierkomponisten Bartók
  Für die pianistische Literatur des frühen 20. Jahrhunderts ist das...

• lexnews.free.fr | Philippe-Emmanuel Krautter | January 10, 2009

  Béla Bartok a opéré la synthèse, déjà annoncée par Frantz Liszt avec les rhapsodies hongroises (inspiration tzigane), entre folklore, musique...

• Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk | October 19, 2009

  Nicolas Bringuier ist Ende 20 und wird sicherlich Zwickauer Musikfreunden als 2. Preisträger des Robert-Schumann-Wettbewerbs 2004 in Erinnerung sein....

• Pianiste | Stéphane Friédérich | January 11, 2010

  Le choix d'un grand Kawai de concert EX remarquablement bien harmonisé et accordé est une excellente idée. Les couleurs chaudes et profondes de...

• schallplattenmann.de | Sal Pichireddu | July 9, 2009

  Musik kommt von der Melodie, Rhythmus und Klang
  Kann wirklich etwas Außergewöhnliches entstehen, wenn ein junger westeuropäischer Pianist einige Werke von Béla Bartók (1881-1945) einspielt?...

• Scherzo | Santiago Martín Bermúdez | January 4, 2010

  Al margen de algunas piezas juveniles, toda la obra de Bartók para piano solo es de un extraordinario nivel. La culminación se da en 1926, como...

• www.SA-CD.net | Arnaldo | May 9, 2009

  Right off the bat, it should be noted that this SACD featuring Nicolas Bringuier playing piano music by Bela Bartok was recorded by Audite's engineers...

• Zwickauer Zeitung | TK | August 14, 2009

  Leute heute
  Nicolas Bringuier, 29, Pianist und 2. Preisträger des 14. Internationalen Robert-Schumann-Wettbewerbs für Klavier und Gesang 2004, wandelt vom...