'Composed in 1910, Bartók's 'Two Pictures' for orchestra, too, draws on Debussy and folk music. Indeed, the title itself is a reference to Debussy's famous piano cycle, 'Images'. The two movements, 'In Full Flower' and 'Village Dance' represent two Bartókian movement types. The first one is the delicate and intimate music of nature. Debussy's influence is most tangible here. The second movement, 'Village Dance' is only related to the previous movement through its tonal system. It is, rather, a sort of 'bone and muscle' music that belongs to the barbaro type of movements, and as such, consists of possibly the simplest elements. Long sections consist of the continual repetition of a primitive motif. The work was first performed three years after its completion, on 25 February 1913, by the Budapest Philhamonic Orchestra, under the baton of István Kerner.'
(HCD 32505 Bartók New Series Vol. 5, Virág Büky)