Bartók: Sonata for Two Pianos & Percussion/Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn for 2 Pianos, Op. 56b

Bela Bartok (Composer), Johannes Brahms (Composer), David Corkhill (Performer), Evelyn Glennie (Performer), Georg Solti (Performer), Murray Perahia (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: David Corkhill, Evelyn Glennie, Georg Solti, Murray Perahia
• Composer: Bela Bartok, Johannes Brahms
• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000026HH
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #101,263 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  #45 in	Music > Classical > Featured Performers, A-Z > ( S ) > Solti, Sir Georg
  #87 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( B ) > Bartók, Béla

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rhythmic and harmonic wonder, October 2, 2003

By	Archel (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

The Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion is (along with the more popular Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta) the pinnacle of Bartok's fascination with exploring the percussive timbres of the piano and the expressive capacity of percussion. The pianos of Sir Georg Solti and Murray Perahia and the percussion section (3 kettledrums, xylophone, 2 side drums (one without snares), cymbals, suspended cymbals, bass drum, triangle and tam-tam) of David Corkhill and Evelyn Glennie are pretty much equals.

The result is a propulsive, thorny, cerebral, rhythmically and harmonically intricate masterpiece, which exudes a distinct mood of mystery. Listening to it, I can't help but feel it must have been a major influence on the great Cecil Taylor and his school of violently percussive and dense avant-garde/free piano improvising. Although relatively obscure, this is as stunning as anything I've heard from Bartok's range of unique masterpieces (I think I've heard them all except for the String Quartets).

The performances are stellar all around. The quality of the sound engineering and recording should impress even the fussiest audiophiles.

The Brahms piece is very beautiful, but listening to it straight after Bartok's Sonata is a bit of an anti-climax, as it is much more timid and conventional.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Gem is the Brahms, November 8, 2001

By A Customer

I bought this CD for the Bartok, which is excellent as expected. But I was surprised to discover my love for the Haydn variations by Brahms and performed with lovely vigour on this CD.

A worthwhile purchase!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars two great performances, December 12, 2004

By	Christine DiBlasi "Christine DiBlasi" (New York) - See all my reviews

I assume most people purchase this CD because of the Bartok, as did I, but after listening to the Brahms many times, I think it is worth emphasizing the worth of this portion of the CD. Brahms originally wrote this piece for two pianos, with the intention of orchestrating it subsequently. I believe that at this time, his ability to write for piano surpassed greatly his string and orchestral writing ability. The orchestral version, although quite masterful, doesn't really use strings in the optimal way. On the other hand, the piano version, with its ringing, sometimes percussive chords, is a profound sonic experience, and Perahia and Solti do it absolute justice. While they use the piano in impressive way as a percussion instrument, they also get the most delicate color possible out of the legato passages. Every phrase is sculpted masterfully, with repeats bringing a unique viewpoint to the first time through, so much so that they do not sound like repeats at all.

-A music lover from New York