Béla Bartók - String Quartets No. 2 & No. 3 for Piano (László Borbély)

Information

Composer: Béla Bartók

• String Quartet No. 2, Op. 17, BB 75 (arr. Péter Tornyai)
• String Quartet No. 3, BB 93 (arr. Marcell Dargay)

László Borbély, piano

Date: 2026

Label: Hunnia Records

_____________________

This album features piano transcriptions of Béla Bartók’s Second and Third String Quartets, created by Péter Tornyai and Marcell Dargay to offer fresh interpretive perspectives through the piano's precise intonation. Tornyai’s transcription of Quartet No. 2 relies on expanding chords and filling sonic spaces to mimic the lingering resonance of string instruments. Conversely, Dargay’s version of the denser Third Quartet selectively omits notes to suit the piano’s hammer mechanism, drawing on analogies from Bartók’s own piano repertoire. Together, these arrangements utilize the unique, abstract qualities of the piano to shed new light on Bartók's masterworks.

László Borbély (born 1984) is a Hungarian pianist and educator, recipient of the Junior Prima and Artisjus Awards. A graduate and Doctor of Liberal Arts from the Liszt Academy Budapest, he has earned top prizes at international competitions, including second place at the Franz Liszt Piano Competitions in Budapest and Los Angeles. Renowned for his refined technique and intellectual depth, Borbély performs worldwide as a soloist and chamber musician in venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and MÜPA Budapest. His repertoire spans from Baroque to contemporary music, with close ties to composers like György Kurtág and Olivier Messiaen. He has released over ten acclaimed solo albums and teaches as an associate professor at the Liszt Academy.

High Resolution 24-bit / 192 kHz