Béla Bartók composed his 44 Violin Duos in 1931, at the urging of the German violin pedagogue Erich Doflein. With two exceptions, all the pieces are based on original folk music themes, most of which the composer himself collected in the course of his numerous collecting trips to the Carpathian Basin and in Algeria. Although conceived as parts of a pedagogically motivated set, these little pieces are highly effective in concert performance as well. The viola transcriptions follow Bartók's original faithfully. (The audio samples included below come from the album Voices from the Past: Béla Bartók's 44 Duos & Original Field Recordings (transposed for two violas). ┌ 2013 by Tantara Records. All rights reserved.)