Béla Bartók (1881-1945)

Started by facehugger, April 06, 2007, 02:41:35 PM

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Luke

One area where I think the Naxos Bartok are really good is the violin music - particularly the sonatas (solo and with piano), the duos and other chamber music. Gyorgy Pauk is the soloist on all these discs, and he really knows and feels every note of this music superbly. Thoroughly idiomatic, wonderfully committed playing throughout.



(Pauk's disc of the concerti is also very fine IMO, but what do I know)

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Have you heard this recording, Luke?

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Many GMGers here said they enjoyed this recording, but I haven't heard it. It seems that Bartok's music for chamber ensembles is hard to come by.

Luke

Funnily enough I just ordered it - I saw it for a couple of quid whilst I was finding the images I just posted, and as I like all of Pauk's other recordings so much, I could hardly say no! So I'll have to let you know about that one when the disc arrives...

Luke

The Pauk/Jando/Berkes Contrasts certainly gives me reason to think that the Rhapsody/Quintet disc will be very fine, too.

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Quote from: Luke on March 13, 2011, 08:59:56 PM
Funnily enough I just ordered it - I saw it for a couple of quid whilst I was finding the images I just posted, and as I like all of Pauk's other recordings so much, I could hardly say no! So I'll have to let you know about that one when the disc arrives...

Thanks, Luke. I would appreciate your feedback on this one. It's a cheap disc, especially from an Amazon Marketplace seller, but, like many Naxos recordings, you just never know.

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#145
Quote from: James on March 14, 2011, 02:31:42 AM
The Jando holds it's own with the best out there, and that Boulez disc is very good as well.

As with any recording, it's a matter of opinion.

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#146
Has anyone heard Christoph von Dohnanyi's performance of the complete ballet of The Miraculous Mandarin? My goodness this performance is just amazing! It may very well end up being one of my favorite performances, of the the full ballet that is, which is the only way I want to hear this ballet from now on. Sometimes the suites just don't do the full ballet justice like a suite of The Wooden Prince for example. The whole ballet is outstanding, so it doesn't make sense to me have a ballet suite of it. The same applies to other ballet masterpieces as well like Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe and Ma Mere L'Oye or Stravinksy's Pulcinella or Firebird. Anyway, I know I'm getting a bit off-topic, but I think I have a valid point. What do you guys think?

karlhenning

Per this, mention was made also of the Contrasts, which I don't believe I've ever actually performed.

Brahmsian

Any comments on this one, for The Wooden Prince?

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karlhenning

Didn't Mike (knight) reel that one in, Ray?

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Quote from: ChamberNut on March 18, 2011, 07:57:21 AM
Any comments on this one, for The Wooden Prince?

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I found Alsop's conducting too rhythmically slack for Bartok. I haven't listened to her Bartok recordings in quite some time. I bought all of her Bartok recordings, with the exception of Bluebeard's Castle, at the same time. I'm very careful of what I buy from Alsop nowadays as she has disappointed me too many times. I did enjoy her Barber series though.

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Quote from: James on March 19, 2011, 03:34:30 AM
Haven't heard it .. for the price tag I'm sure it can't hurt. If you're coming to this one for the first time
perhaps it's best to start with Boulez's excellent DG recording of it that's coupled with the Cantata Profana.

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I've recommended this recording for years. Probably the best account of The Wooden Prince I've heard, but Ivan Fischer isn't far behind Boulez. As far as the Cantata Profana, this is the only recording I own of the work, so, obviously, I have nothing to compare it with, but Boulez does an excellent job with it.

karlhenning

Must be in the DG Boulez/Bartók reissue set.

Scarpia

Quote from: Apollon on March 19, 2011, 07:48:50 AM
Must be in the DG Boulez/Bartók reissue set.

I must say I find that set of DG recordings singularly unpleasant.  The ones I had were made when DG had introduced what they called their "4D" system, which included lengthy descriptions of why their recordings sounded so superior to all other recordings.  Claims notwithstanding, the recordings had a "fingernails on the chalkboard" sound to them which made me cringe. 


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Quote from: Il Barone Scarpia on March 19, 2011, 09:37:49 AM
I must say I find that set of DG recordings singularly unpleasant.  The ones I had were made when DG had introduced what they called their "4D" system, which included lengthy descriptions of why their recordings sounded so superior to all other recordings.  Claims notwithstanding, the recordings had a "fingernails on the chalkboard" sound to them which made me cringe.

They sounded great to me. You may want to check your stereo. There are three knobs called treble, midrange, and bass. Use these wisely. Now go and may the Force be with you. :P

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Quote from: James on March 27, 2011, 08:43:34 AM
THE MIRACULOUS MANDARIN
Bartók, whose introspection bordered on the pathological, was clearly attracted to stories of loniness and alienation in which the power of love could redeem and destroy. In 1917 he read the scenario for a ballet, The Miraculous Mandarin, in the Hungarian literary magazine Nyugat. Bartók immediately decided to set it to music, enthusiastically describing the grisly tale to a journalist as "beautiful". The plot tells of three thugs who force a young girl to lure passers-by into a room where they will rob them. After two unsuccessful attempts, a strange Chinese man appears. The girl arouses his desire by dancing. The men try to kill him but he will not die. Only when the girl satisfies his desire do his wounds begin to bleed and he dies.

Like Duke Bluebeard's Castle, The Miraculous Mandarin exudes a tangible claustrophobia and an almost suffocating sexual tension. The work's swirling, restless energy and profusion of jagged cross-rhythms clearly own much to Petrushka and the Rite of Spring but, whereas Stravinsky's rawness conjures up the exotic, Bartók evokes a much more modern vision - an alienating cityscape of glaring lights and blaring klaxons. This is certainly his most aggressive score, with only the beguiling and virtuosic clarinet solos of the three enticement scenes offering much in the the way of lyricism. The nightmarish and percussive violence of the score is made bearable by the brilliant richness of the orchestral colouring which, though consistently sinister, has several highly sensous moments.

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Fisher gets a finely detailed and energetic performance from his Budapest players. There is an engaging clarity and bite to the orchestral playing (qualities that also serve the accompanying Romanian Folk Dances well) and the solo passages are excellent. The seduction scenes, in particular are beautifully played by an uncredited clarinettist.

The Miraculous Mandarin is one of my favorite works of the 20th Century. It is so relentless and aggressive. I love every minute of it. The Ivan Fischer recording is very good, but it's not my top choice. That honor goes to Christoph von Dohnanyi and the most unlikely of Bartok orchestras: the Vienna Philharmonic. This performance will send shivers down your spine. When I hear this ballet, I want to hear a certain edginess from the orchestra. Both of Boulez's accounts compared to the Dohnanyi sound quite tame as does Fischer.

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#156
Quote from: James on March 27, 2011, 10:16:27 AM
They made a movie about the Concerto for Orchestra, its here ..

http://www.youtube.com/v/kL12wxqRG2Q
http://www.youtube.com/v/LbDrqWkTouI
http://www.youtube.com/v/qseyT5G6IQs

I own this performance with its documentary, which is this DVD:



I liked the documentary a lot, very helpful. Boulez's conducting was also quite good here.

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Quote from: James on March 27, 2011, 10:50:19 AM
Listening now to the Boulez's fabulously detailed & technically assured DG recording of the piece,
coupled with a great 4 Orchestral Pieces op.12.

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I'm still a firm believer that Reiner's performance of the Concerto for Orchestra is the gold standard. Boulez's performance is quite good as is Solti's, Fischer's, Dohnanyi's, but there's something in Reiner's approach that just works for me. I suppose I like how he brought out the darker elements of the score.

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Quote from: James on March 27, 2011, 11:06:06 AM
The Reiner recording doesn't do much for me to be honest .. but there are many versions available to choose from ..

The Reiner also has great performances of Hungarian Sketches and Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta. A truly landmark recording, but I can certainly understand that not everybody will like Reiner's approach.

On a different topic, I was surprised to even see Alsop mentioned, because she is so mediocre in Bartok. Totally uncommitted to his idiom and she's just so slack in her rhythms that the music looses its edge.

Henk

#159
MI, can you sum up your recommendations of Bartok and Stravinsky recordings in one post for me? It's too much work to search them. Can be a valuable post for other as well.

I'm not fooling you. ;)

Thanks in advance.

Henk