Duo Landon (Hlíf Sigurjónsdóttir and Martin Frewer) - Béla Bartók: 44 Duos for Two Violins, Sz. 98 (2012)

“The new CD of Béla Bartók’s 44 Duos is an exemplary one. Without exception the artists capture the composer’s limitless imagination in recreating Hungarian and other Central European historic styles. Perhaps most evident is the heartening way Bartók’s rhythmic vitality is made accessible to the listener, an accomplishment requiring precise articulation, the delineation of phrase structure, and a secure sense of the music’s interior metrical pulse… In addition, Bartók’s marvelous variety of styles is conveyed by the élan of the performers. Everything is here - dark, somber folk melodies, spritely dances, childlike moments (suiting the music´s underlying pedagogical intent), graceful imitative lines, and a strong sense of improvisation… The Duos are brief micro-moments but bare a musical soul that is rich, deep, and long-lived. This recording should be at the top of the list for 2006 and beyond." ~ [Cecelia Porter, The Washington Post]