Béla Bartók (1881-1945)

[Ten thumbs]

In Hungary the surname is the first but I think it is correct to use the western order in English texts. (At least foreign people know which is which.)

I'm only making a wry comment, as the status quo will not change: Wien in still Vienna and Roma is still Rome.

[Parsifal]

I'm only making a wry pedantic comment, as the status quo will not change: Wien in still Vienna and Roma is still Rome.

I fixed it for you.

A person reading an English text has no way of knowing if a name that appears is that of a Hungarian or not.  If name ordering were determined by local custom rather than English convention, the reader would be unable to determine which is the surname and which the given name and the result would be confusion.  The status quo makes sense.

[Klaze]

I'm looking for recommendations for recordings of the Violin Concerti, to supplement the ones I've got by Menuhin and Dorati.
Preferably modern, or at least not too old.
I have my eyes on Zehetmair/Fischer, but have not really kept up to date with what's out there.

Thanks in advance!

[Mirror Image]

I'm looking for recommendations for recordings of the Violin Concerti, to supplement the ones I've got by Menuhin and Dorati.
Preferably modern, or at least not too old.
I have my eyes on Zehetmair/Fischer, but have not really kept up to date with what's out there.

Thanks in advance!

Look no further than Isabelle Faust/Harding on Harmonia Mundi. Absolutely first-rate performances. Blows Zehetmair away! No joke. My other favorite is Chung/Solti.

[Klaze]

Faust, in the Bartok Concerti, that sounds like an excellent idea! Thanks.

[Mirror Image]

Faust, in the Bartok Concerti, that sounds like an excellent idea! Thanks.

Yes, you can't go wrong with these performances, Klaze.

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[DavidW]

I'll bite, that cd is ordered.

[Mirror Image]

I'll bite, that cd is ordered.

Great choice. Let me know your impressions of it, Dave.

[Roberto]

I haven't heard Faust yet but based on the samples and making of video it seems great.
Dorati and Menuhin is good but too slow and soft for me. My first choice is this SACD:
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As a bonus it contains both ending of the concerto.
It is from the Hungaroton's new Bartók series. Maybe the violin is a little bit closely miked but there is an unmatched power and passion in this performance. Zoltán Kocsis and the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra are the greatest Bartók performers today.

[Klaze]

Dorati and Menuhin is good but too slow and soft for me.

Yeah, plus I wanted something with better sound.
I will certainly keep your recommendation in mind!, I actually haven't heard anything conducted by Kocsis yet, but love his recordings of the piano works and concerti.

[Roberto]

I will certainly keep your recommendation in mind!, I actually haven't heard anything conducted by Kocsis yet, but love his recordings of the piano works and concerti.

Yes, his complete piano works for Decca (also included in the Hungaroton series) is great. I think he plays Bartók better than Bartók himself (I have the 6-disc Bartók plays Bartók set). Unfortunately the Bartók New Series is hard to find even in Hungary but it is worth to try if you can find it. I listened to Suite Nos. 1 and 2 at the weekend and I was fascinated by the performance and recording.

[Klaze]

Yes, his complete piano works for Decca (also included in the Hungaroton series) is great. I think he plays Bartók better than Bartók himself (I have the 6-disc Bartók plays Bartók set).

Interesting, I wasn't aware of that 6-disc set.
I have these two CDs (Pearl) of Bartók and Mrs Bartók (see below),
do you know if those are the same recordings also included in the 6CD set?
What i really would like to hear is him playing his Piano Sonata, but I don't think he ever recorded it, did he?

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[snyprrr]

What do you all think of the Kocsis Set?

[Roberto]

Interesting, I wasn't aware of that 6-disc set.
I have these two CDs (Pearl) of Bartók and Mrs Bartók (see below),
do you know if those are the same recordings also included in the 6CD set?
What i really would like to hear is him playing his Piano Sonata, but I don't think he ever recorded it, did he?

I don't have the Pearl recordings, I have this 6 CD Hungaroton set:
[asin]B00000305B[/asin]
I bought it years ago, now it is out of print. It contains all complete recordings of Bartók and I think it includes the recordings you have on Pearl CD (I don't have the complete track list and recording dates of the second album you mentioned). Hungaroton made quite good remastering (not too processed). Actually I was wrong because it is not "Bartók plays Bartók", it contains works from other composers too.
There is another 4 CD "Bartók plays" set:

It contains homemade and private recordings but mainly just fragments from complete works so I didn't want to buy.
Unfortunately he didn't recorded his Piano Sonata.

[Klaze]

Thanks for the info Roberto

What do you all think of the Kocsis Set?

You mean for the solo piano works right? In general, I think Kocsis should be considered as the first choice, even if only for recorded sound quality. As Roberto mentioned, Bartok himself played his music a bit more gently, but I prefer Kocsis' way. I have the set by Sandor on Vox which I think is almost as good, but Kocsis is the more spectacular overall. Furthermore, they often don't divide stuff into separate tracks in the Sandor set, which is kind of annoying.

[snyprrr]

Thanks for the info Roberto

You mean for the solo piano works right? In general, I think Kocsis should be considered as the first choice, even if only for recorded sound quality. As Roberto mentioned, Bartok himself played his music a bit more gently, but I prefer Kocsis' way. I have the set by Sandor on Vox which I think is almost as good, but Kocsis is the more spectacular overall. Furthermore, they often don't divide stuff into separate tracks in the Sandor set, which is kind of annoying.

Isn't there a third set on... Sony?? But yea, that Philips sound for Kocsis, yum yum.

[Klaze]

Yeah, Sandor also recorded a much later set for Sony. Never heard anything of that myself, but from what i recall, the general opinion was that the earlier Vox set is more energetic, and the later Sony a bit more on the refined side.

[Brahmsian]

Béla Bartók binge starting now...

with the string quartets! 

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[Mirror Image]

Béla Bartók binge starting now...

Nothing wrong with that! One of my absolute favorite composers! The only SQ set I own is the Takács Quartet which is the only cycle I felt I needed. How are the Emersons, Ray?

[kyjo]

Nothing wrong with that! One of my absolute favorite composers! The only SQ set I own is the Takács Quartet which is the only cycle I felt I needed. How are the Emersons, Ray?

I know you didn't ask me, John, but the Emersons are very good-certainly technically brilliant and razor-sharp in attack. But I prefer the Takacs by a slight margin because of the more emotional approach they take to the music. The same applies to the Emersons' recordings of the Shosty quartets (where I favor the Borodin Quartet).