Béla Bartók

Bartók can be heavy going at times, but he always means what he writes.

I used to think of him as an austere, earnest composer who thought very individually; some of his string quartet ideas were, I think, unique at the time he wrote them.

Then I discovered his Concerto for Orchestra and realised that the man had a sense of humour!

The second movement – called in the score The Pairs Game – is a masterpiece of ingenious construction around pairs of bassoons, trumpets, etc. all held together by a rhythm on the side drum. Each pair keeps the same number of notes apart. Sounds simple? You try it.

And the Finale – a riotous Presto kicked off by an arresting flourish on the horns – brings it all to a satisfying end and displays the intense lifelong interest in folk music that Bartók had.