Béla Bartók’s Three Hungarian Folksongs from the Csík District are the product of his early collaboration with Zoltán Kodály, collecting and transcribing folk-tunes throughout Eastern Europe. The solemn Four Dirges express an acceptance of mortality through affirmation and serene restraint. The climax of a remarkable collection, volume 6 of Mikrokosmos includes technically demanding concert pieces of considerable complexity. Part of the tradition from which Bartók himself emerged, award-winning Hungarian pianist Lajos Kertész includes Kodály amongst his teachers. This is the first of four volumes of his recordings of Bartók’s piano music.