Romanian Folk Dances - Béla Bartók, Arr. Arthur Willner | Sphere Ensemble

This piece was performed live at First Universalist Church in Denver, CO on April 12, 2025 as part of our "Music for Motion" program. Romanian Folk Dances - Béla Bartók, Arr. Arthur Willner 1. Stick Dance (Jocul cu Bâta) [0:00] 2. Sash Dance (Brâul) [1:27] 3. In One Spot (Pe Loc) [2:00] 4. Dance from Bucsum (Buciumeana) [3:14] 5. Romanian Polka (Poarga Românească) [5:08] 6. Fast Dance (Maruntelul or Aprózó) [5:44] Béla Bartók was a musical innovator who, among other things, had an interest in the musical folk traditions of indigenous peoples from across central and eastern Europe. The Romanian Folk Dances, originally for piano, are the culmination of Bartók’s work traveling the countryside transcribing folk melodies and reworking them into this highly evocative original work. Movement I starts off with rustic spirit, II is a whimsical oompah dance, III exhibits distant longing, IV ruminates darkly, and V, VI and VII show a progression of increasing frenzy culminating in a breathless romp! _____ Questions? Comments? Feedback? Let us know! Email us at: [email protected] _____ Artistic Team: Alex Vittal, Executive Director Alejandro Gómez Guillén, Music Director Jesse Werner, Creative Director _____ Musicians: Violin: Nina Fronjian, Autumn Pepper, Veronica Sawarynski, Evan De Long, Sarah Whitnah, Mary Evans, Brune Macary Viola: Ally Stibbards, Alex Vittal, Aimée McAnulty Cello: Jake Saunders, Dave Short Bass: Forest Greenough Conductor: Alejandro Gómez Guillén _____ Board of Directors: David Alley, President Maria Fisher, Vice President Chris Harbison, Secretary Terry McDonnell, Treasurer Susan Mercure, Director Nina Fronjian, Musician Representative Sarah Whitnah, Musician Representative _____ Video recording by Owen Zhou, Opus Zero (http://www.opuszero.net) Audio recording by Kevin Harbison (http://www.thresholdaudiorecording.com) Copyright © 2025 Sphere Ensemble. All rights reserved.