Béla Bartók - 44 Duos & Original field recordings (Alexandra Preucil; Antoine Tamestit)

Information

Composer: Béla Bartók

• 44 Duos, Sz. 98 (arr. Preucil & Tamestit)
• Bartók's original field recordings

Alexandra Preucil, violin

Antoine Tamestit, viola

Date: 2026

Label: harmonia mundi

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Antoine Tamestit and Alexandra Preucil deliver a strikingly fresh interpretation of Béla Bartók’s 44 Duos, elevating the pieces far beyond their original pedagogical intent as a graded violin method. Performing on violin and viola, the duo remains sensitively alert to the popular, multicultural origins of these works, which draw from folk traditions spanning Central Europe to Algeria. To deepen the album's historical and emotional resonance, they have thoughtfully interspersed several of the original field recordings captured by Bartók himself during his ethnomusicological travels, creating a profound, multi-layered dialogue between traditional folklore and twentieth-century chamber music.

Violinist Alexandra Preucil, former Assistant Concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra and current member of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, enjoys a distinguished international career in orchestral leadership and chamber music. A graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music, she co-founded the Starker Duo with violist Antoine Tamestit, debuting their recording of Bartók's 44 Duos in 2026. Performing on a 1744 Sanctus Serafin violin, Preucil is also a dedicated educator and director of the Britt Festival Fellowship Program, who serves as Vice President of the Starker Foundation and designs innovative, interactive community music programs like Harmony the Hare.

Antoine Tamestit (born 1979 in Paris) is a leading French violist renowned for his versatility and expressive artistry. Trained at the Conservatoire de Paris, Yale University, and under Tabea Zimmermann, he performs with major orchestras including the Berlin, Vienna, and New York Philharmonics, and collaborates with top conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. In the 2024/25 season, he was artist-in-residence with Radio-France and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra. Tamestit is a dedicated chamber musician, performing with artists like Yo-Yo Ma and Yuja Wang, and co-founding Trio Zimmermann. His extensive discography spans Baroque to contemporary repertoire.

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