Naxos' A Portrait series does an incredible service to a wide range of listeners, from students and novices to professionals and seasoned connoisseurs. Virtually anyone can gain something from this series. This particular installment focuses on Hungarian composer
Béla Bartók, perhaps one of the most influential and ingenious composers of the first half of the twentieth century. While compilations of movements here and segments there can be maddening, Naxos does something rather unique with two discs' worth of fragments from more than a dozen genres of compositions. Rather than a haphazard arrangement, the sequence of tracks follows along with the well-written and informative 81-page booklet included with the discs. These notes not only provide a wonderful timeline of
Bartók's life, but describe the evolution of his approach to composition. Each of the tracks is used as a well-chosen musical example to demonstrate what the booklet is discussing. The notes even go so far as to call out exact times within a track when a notable event is taking place, making listening an even more informative experience. All of the excerpts come from Naxos' existing recorded library and feature many of the finest
Bartók performers around, including the
Vermeer String Quartet, pianist
Jeno Jando, violinist
Gyorgy Pauk, and the
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under the direction of
Marin Alsop. Anyone even remotely interested in the history of music or simply to learn more about what they're listening to should absolutely purchase this collection and others like it.