Béla Bartók: Divertimento / Dance Suite / Hungarian Sketches / Two Pictures - Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Pierre Boulez

Béla Bartók (Composer), Pierre Boulez (Conductor), Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Chicago Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Pierre Boulez
• Composer: Béla Bartók
• Audio CD (May 16, 1995)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B000001GOT
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #88,827 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Accessible Bartok, February 18, 2001

By 

Michael B. Richman (Portland, Maine USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Béla Bartók: Divertimento / Dance Suite / Hungarian Sketches / Two Pictures - Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Pierre Boulez (Audio CD)

This disc of four Bartok pieces, performed by Pierre Boulez and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, is a very accessible introduction to this iconoclastic twentieth century composer. The first work, "Dance Suite," is just about as jovial and carefree as Bartok gets. "Two Pictures" initially paints a serene and almost pastoral picture, then turns more haunting. "Hungarian Sketches" is next and it is one of my favorite Barotk compositions. This recording was my third version -- the first two being Antal Dorati's on Mercury Living Presence and Fritz Reiner's on RCA Living Stereo. It is particularly fun to compare this Boulez "Hungarian Sketches" to the Reiner one as they were both recorded by the Chicago Symphony, yet nearly forty years apart. It is safe to say the C.S.O. owned this piece in both decades. The Boulez disc ends with Bartok's "Divertimento," the album's longest and most austere composition. Compared to other Bartok CDs I have, this title is fairly easy listening, but don't let that fool you because "Divertimento/Dance Suite" is incredible, creative, challenging classical music.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Three Lesser Known Bartok Compositions And A Great "Hungarian Pictures", October 22, 2009

By 

J. Rich - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Béla Bartók: Divertimento / Dance Suite / Hungarian Sketches / Two Pictures - Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Pierre Boulez (Audio CD)

I own all of the Bartok recordings with Pierre Boulez. They are all fantastic and if you're a Bartok fan, then they're worth your time. This recording "Divertimento, Dance Suite, etc.," is a fine addition to the series. "Divertimento" written for string orchestra is marvelously played by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (who have a great history Bartok dating back to Georg Solti and Fritz Reiner). This piece ("Divertimento") is unlike anything I've heard from Bartok. I only own two versions of this piece Boulez and Solti. I prefer Boulez's performance for the simple fact that he lays the structure of the piece right out in front of you and he achieves remarkable clarity, whereas, Solti's reading is much more bombastic, which I guess is personal preference for some, but bombast for it's own sake doesn't always work, especially for Bartok's music.

Another Bartok favorite of mine, "Hungarian Sketches," is played beautifully here. Boulez doesn't wash away my impressions of Fritz Reiner, but he does a fantastic job of keeping this lively score afloat. "Dance Suite" and "Two Pictures" are also played with great conviction.

Boulez has proven with his Bartok series that he's a master of this repertoire. His whole Bartok series can now be purchased in an 8-CD set:

Pierre Boulez Conducts Bartók

I bought all of the Bartok/Boulez recordings before Deutsche Grammophon put out this box set, but if you're a collector and can find the individual releases cheaper than the box set, then go for it. They will be hard to find one day.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A bit of a catch-all, done at half-speed, December 29, 2005

By 

Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Béla Bartók: Divertimento / Dance Suite / Hungarian Sketches / Two Pictures - Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Pierre Boulez (Audio CD)

If I'm not mistaken, this is the only installment of Boulez's Bartok cycle for DG that contains no major work, unless you count the genial Divertimento for strings from 1939. Everything else comes in bits and pieces. The Dance Suite offers energetic homage to folk materials from Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and oddly enough, Arab North Africa. The more negligible pieces on this CD are the Two Images, which sound like castoffs from The Wooden Prince, and the Hungarian Sketches, which are simple orchestrations of even simpler piano miniatures.

For such a fragmented colleciton to work requires a burst of energy and elan. Sadly, they are noticeably missing from Boulez's straight-faced, sometimes bland performances, which date from 1992 and 1993 in Chicago. I can see why DG waited to publish these recordings until 1996, but they would have shown off better as fillers to major works. As they stand, they are pleasant enough musically, but I've heard much more committed readings of each piece elsewhere. Maybe the more infectious and warmer Ivan Fischer recordings on Philips would be a better alternative.