Customer Reviews

Bartók: Concertos

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If you like Bartók, you'll love this, and if you just want to round out your classical collection with one CD of his, this is the one ! You'll get over 2 1/2 hours of superb performances in one 2-disc jewel case.

Piano concertos # 1 and # 2 are difficult to listen to at first if you're not used to this type of music...Bartók wrote these pieces for himself to perform, and he must have enjoyed a challenge. The speed and complexity are mind-boggling. # 3 is a much easier ride...written shortly before his death (he wrote this one for his wife to perform), it's much more melodic and gentle on the ears. Stephen Kovacevich is brilliant as the soloist in all 3 pieces, and they're conducted masterfully by Colin Davis.

My favorite in this collection is the 2nd violin concerto, and this is a lyrical, beautiful rendition of this gorgeous composition. Henryk Szeryng's performance is exquisite, and it's wonderfully conducted by Bernard Haitink, who also does the final piece, Bartók's most famous and most often played, the rousing "Concerto for Orchestra".

This is not only a great Bartok collection but an outstanding value, with a lot of music packed onto two discs.

While I do love Pollini's thunderous, hammering version of the First Piano Concerto (with Abbado and Chicago), this one is perhaps better balanced. Kovacevich is superb in all three of these pieces, and the orchestral accompaniment, led by the brilliant Sir Colin Davis, is terrific. Henryk Szeryng is also in spectacular form in the Violin Concerto, playing with great feeling, not to mention the sheer beauty of the sound of his instrument. His partners here are Bernard Haitink and the Concertgebouw, one of the great conductor/orchestra teams ever.

And after all these fireworks, we still get an arresting performance of the Concerto for Orchestra, showing off Haitink and the Concertgebouw at their most precise and luminous. A confession up front: I have about a dozen versions of this piece, including the brand-new one from Chailly with the same orchestra, which is certainly spectacular. I would also hate to give up recordings by Solti and Chicago (not to mention Solti and the London Symphony Orchestra), the great Cleveland Orchestra with Christoph von Dohnanyi, and Dutoit with Montreal, whose technicolor reading works very well. I also treasure the vivid, fiery interpretation from Mariss Jansons and the Oslo Philharmonic.

Even considering all of these, this performance from the mid-1960's still sounds excellent. And again, it gives an exciting glimpse of the quality of music-making by Haitink and this orchestra during that period.

A great recording AND a bargain.

Unfortunately I have never heard Donohoe/Rattle recording on Bartok piano concertos, but I've heard Andras Schiff on teldec, Maurizio Pollini (No.1&2 only) on DG, Yefim Bronfman on Sony, and Martha Argerich (No.3 only) on EMI, so far. Among these seemingly splendid recordings, this recording by then-young Kovacevich is a really best-buy. I feel he gives sometimes a boring performance and shows a little bit poor techniques especially recently, but here his performance is very fresh and filled with the musical momentum.

La seleccion mas genial que uno podria esperar de los conciertos de un compositor no tan apreciado como deberia serlo.
Los primeros elogios son para Kovacevich y la presentacion de los conciertos para piano (los tres) en grabaciones notables, espectaculares el virtuosismo de Stephen es manifiesto, genial,increible; los conciertos son vibrantes, elegantes, muy innovadores, y el genio de este solista nos lleva a disfrutarlos de una manera inigualable, la orquesta sinfonica de Londres es una de las mejores y aqui lo demuestra (1 y 3 concierto) y la orquesta de la BBC (historica para definirla de alguna manera) suena mejor que nunca, algo del merito lo tiene Colin Davis que como lo he comentado se esmera en sonar genial, en aprovechar al maximo a sus musicos y en estos conciertos nada sobra y nada falta, exquisito y musicalmente brillante.
Y si los conciertos para piano son geniales el concierto para violin es sorprendente mas aun por la regia interpretacion de Szering, este violinista se hace lucir y brillar en interpretaciones fulgurantes, arrolladoras y por cierto con un toque especial de sublimidad, acompañan a Henryk una orquesta incomparable la del concervatorio de Amsterdam que con su insigne director lleva a la musica a otros niveles, Bernard Haitink es de los directores contemporaneos el que lleva el peso de una tradicion valorada por su sello y calidad, se hace cargo ademas del extraordinario Concerto para orquesta que cierra un doble CD de verdad incomparable.

There is no doubt in my mind, that this exceptional
release from PHILIPS crystalized in a music hall,
the composer's true intentions when the pieces were
developed and completed.

The performances, indeed, are immaculate on CD1,
in terms of the piano pieces, and surpass clearly
in matters of musicians' performances, ability
and the recording engineers' ability as compared
to the Hungaroton lunch box available elsewhere
(also very good, yet better on some opus than others.)

In regards to the second CD, the Concerto for Orchestra
is breathtaking and exceptional in its musical execution.

The listening will be astounded as to how so much value was
put together on a single 2 CD release, at such an affordable price.