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Anyone who at any time in their life has heard a sensitive performance of a single work by Bartok, can feel that his works have some kind of more or less hidden message. That they are perfect acoustic crystalline structures, is of course what makes him one of the most important composers of all time, but for the listener, what counts, is the primary experience of how, through his music, Bartok elevates our spirits and plumbs the depths. The Modern Art Orchestra has taken Bartók at his word. The CD features a big band arrangement of 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs, a piano work, in which Bartok arranged some of his favourites from the melodies he had collected. The orchestrators, all the soloists of the MAO, have the utmost respect for the piano score. Not a single note is added to any of the movements, they just transpose the language of the piano to that of a large orchestra, as faithfully as possible to the original. Between the movements however there are various improvisations, which employ elements of contemporary music, jazz, and folk music to comment on Bartok's original ideas. And in this case the basic idea is never abstract: tracing the texts of the original songs makes absolutely clear what is in any case suggested by Bartok's arrangement - what a given song is about. Through the improvisations the CD not only expounds Bartok's ideas, but it also conveys the spirit of him. The soloists come from different musical worlds, different cultures, and their impulses create an astonishing abundance. Saxophonist David Liebman from New York is one of the biggest figures in American jazz, a long-time admirer of Bartók's music; Mihály Dresch is the link between jazz and folk music; Miklós Lukács is an 'all-round' musician, bringing with him the sounds and thinking of contemporary music; László Gőz also has a contemporary music background and with him come electronics; while Veronika Harcsa adds a vocal dimension to the instrumental space created by the music.

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The Modern Art Orchestra, under the direction of Kornel Fekete-Kovacs perform Bartok's 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs. This was a piece Bartok wrote and arranged for solo piano based on Hungarian folk melodies that he had cataloged. The suite, originally composed in three different parts, was combined by Bartok for single piano performance. Fekete-Kovacs arranges it for a full jazz big band using himself and Janos Aved, Kristof Bacso and Gabor Subciz as arrangers. He also invited several guest musicians including American Dave Liebman (one of the most intrepid of American jazz players), and four Hungarian musicians: Mihaly Dresch (fuhun - a Hungarian flute), Miklosz Lukacs (cimbalom - a Hungarian dulcimerlike instrument), Laszlo Goz (bass trumpet) and singer Veronika Hoarcsa. Other members of the orchestra solo as well. Including Aved (ts), Balasz Scerto (tarogato), Gabor Cseke (piano). Here it is performed as a non-stop orchestral suite opened up for improvisation with each section nicely segueing into the next. Each of the guest soloists brings his area of expertise to the music. Liebman's solos are solidly jazz derived but his improvisations (and he's featured at length on six of the 15 tracks) are faithful to the Hungarianderived melodies and modes. On 'Andante' Dresch solos at length on fuhun and Liebman's subsequent solo on soprano blends perfectly with the Hungarian flute. The ensemble voicings range from Bartokian (of course) to a Gil Evans style to standard big band. What is surprising about this disc is how all the various elements merge into a unique listening experience. And it demonstrates the relevance and adaptability of both Hungarian folk music and Bartok's music to the world at large.

     — Robert Iannapollo, Cadence Magazine