When Bartók visited Glasgow in the early 1930’s, he showed great interest in Scottish traditional music, culture, and apparently, in fish suppers! This season, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra brings him back to Glasgow (minus the fried food) and in a series of concerts, explores his fascination with folk song and dance. There is also a chance to hear some of his songs and chamber music

We open the season with a concert performance of two of the greatest one act opera’s ever conceived for the stage – Bartok’s Duke Bluebeard’s castle. The work is a huge challenge to singers and orchestra and this concert is sure to make an unforgettable start to the season

“Bartók in Glasgow”, culminates at Tramway in a fantastic collaboration between the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and leading Hungarian folk group Muzsikás with singer Márta Sebestyén. The infectious rhythms of Hungarian and Romanian folk dance pervade the music of Bártok, and Muzsikás have made it their business to bring back to life, in song and in dance, some of the village music he collected early in the 20th century. Ilan Volkov and the orchestra perform his Dance Suite as well as songs for voice and orchestra with Márta Sebestyén, well-known for her singing on the soundtrack of the English Patient. I look forward to seeing you at what could be the first Scottish-Hungarian ceilidh!

Ilan Volkov, Chief Conductor BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra