Bartók's explanation to Concerto for Orchestra

Published in the Boston Symphony Orchestra programme of 1 December 1944

The title of this symphony-like orchestral work is explained by its tendency to treat the single instruments or instrument groups in a ‘concertant’ or soloistic manner. The ‘virtuoso’ treatment appears, for instance, in the fugato sections of the development of the first movement (brass instruments), or in the ‘perpetuum mobile’-like passages of the principal theme in the last movement (strings), and, especially, in the second movement, in which pairs of instruments appear consecutively with brilliant passages.

As for the structure of the work, the first and fifth movements are written in a more or less regular sonata form. The development of the first movement contains fugato sections for brass; the exposition in the finale is somewhat extended, and its development consists of a fugue built on the last theme of the exposition.

Less traditional forms are found in the second and third movements. The main part of the second movement consists of a chain of independent short sections, by wind instruments consecutively introduced in five pairs (bassoons, oboes, clarinets, flutes, and muted trumpets). Thematically, the five sections have nothing in common and could be symbolized by the letters a, b, c, d, e. A kind of ‘trio’ – a short chorale for brass instruments and side-drum – follows, after which the five sections are recapitulated in a more elaborate instrumentation.

The structure of the third movement likewise is chain-like; three themes appear successively. These constitute the core of the movement, which is enframed by a misty texture of rudimentary motives.