Bartók: Piano Concertos

On this CD:

1. Piano Concerto No. 1, for piano & orchestra in A Major, Sz. 83, BB 91
Composed by Bela Bartok
Performed by Birmingham Symphony Orchestra with Peter Donohoe
Conducted by Simon Rattle

2. Piano Concerto No. 2, for piano & orchestra in G major, Sz. 95, BB 101
Composed by Bela Bartok
Performed by Birmingham Symphony Orchestra with Peter Donohoe
Conducted by Simon Rattle

3. Piano Concerto No. 3, for piano & orchestra in E major (completed by Tibor Serly), Sz. 119, BB 127
Composed by Bela Bartok
Performed by Birmingham Symphony Orchestra with Peter Donohoe
Conducted by Simon Rattle

Tracks:

1. Allegro Moderato - Allegro - Krystian Zimerman
2. Andante - - Krystian Zimerman
2. Allegro - Attacca:/3. Allegro Molto - Krystian Zimerman
1. Allegro - Leif Ove Andsnes
2. Adagio - Presto - Adagio - Leif Ove Andsnes
3. Allegro Molto - Leif Ove Andsnes
1. Allegretto - Helen Grimaud
2. Adagio Religioso - Helen Grimaud
3. Allegro Vivace - Helen Grimaud

Amazon.com

Pierre Boulez, always a sympathetic conductor of Bartók's music, here leads three different orchestras and three different soloists in a highly recommendable disc of the composer's complete piano concertos. The First is a jagged, percussive piece reminiscent of Bartók's earlier Dance Suite in its driving rhythms. Like the Second Concerto's, the slow movement is one of his typically mysterious "night" pieces, with lightly tapping percussion accompanying the piano's ghostly entry and winds adding to the otherworldly effect in the central section. Soloist Krystian Zimerman plays it magnificently. The Second Concerto is no less challenging, but scored more transparently with Baroque-inspired counterpoint. Again, propulsive rhythms excite, and Leif Ove Andsnes sails through the virtuosic solo part with aplomb. Bartók wrote the first two to feature on his concert tours. The Third Concerto was written by the dying composer in 1945 as a legacy for his wife, a concert pianist. It's one of his most lyrical, relaxed works with long-lined melodies and often lush scoring. Here the pianist is Hélène Grimaud, playing with tonal beauty, poetic flair, and the requisite toughness for the final Allegro. With its superb soloists and orchestras and Boulez's consistency, this disc is a Bartókian feast. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Tremendous tremendous performances.......2007-03-24

Even today Bartok remains a controversial composer, but these latest performances of three of his most seminal and exhilarating works must surely convince any doubters. The unifying link in the three, with different orchestras and different soloists is Pierre Boulez and he must take great credit for having brought out the individual character of these three fine works to the full. He is a master of precision and skill and has produced three superlative performances in very different circumstances.
My favorite of the three has to be the Second, widely regarded as a Bartok's finest Concerto. For the soloist this is not so much a test of technique as of physical force and endurance with its page after page of "doubled" writing. Leif Ove Andsnes meets the challenge perfectly and this is one of the most dazzling performances of any piece of music on record I have ever heard by both soloist and orchestra (Berlin Philharmonic). But the second is not just merely virtuosity and I would like you to hear the inner movements of this challenging piece especially carefully. This a piece of music you can listen to again and again. It will always leave you behind, but never give up the chase.

The third Concerto requires a somewhat different approach and I note that Boulez chose to record this with Helène Grimaud rather than one of the more flamboyant male soloists. Bartok wrote this piece specifically for his wife, Ditta Pasztory, and it is altogether a softer, more tender piece. The 'night music" slow movement is wonderfully done and I can't imagine this lovely and underrated piece ( whatever nasty cynic said he had composed this merely for cash?) ever being better performed.

The first concerto is a relatively early work and full of boyish energy indeed violence. Although musically it's probably the baby of the three, Krystian Zimmerman and the LSO give it "full welly" and it's a very engaging result. Altogether- strongly recommended.

Bartok: The Piano Concertos, Pierre Boulez.......2006-08-21

Sheer perfection, intense, fantastic interpretations. A must for serious record collectors.

Interesting, Good, and Clean.......2006-05-28

The Interesting: Boulez brings out some of the more conventional harmonies of the First Concerto! and some of the modernisms of the Third! (is that a substituted bass drum stroke at the end of the third movement?) - - And a different soloist and orchestra for each concerto -

The Good: The concertos come off reasonably well (with reservations).

The Clean: The recordings bring out a lot of detail found in the scores (especially the Bachian counterpoint of the Second Concerto).

My personal feelings: Zimerman never seems to be totally in sinc with Boulez in the First Concerto, especially in the outer movements - Not that they're 'not' together; just a 'oneness' that seems to be missing - I feel the pianst making an effort to bond with the conductor and orchestra (did they get together just to make a recording? or did they perform this work and then record it? - I don't know) - But I think this is the best rendition of the three -

The Second Concerto is very exciting - that scale and trill at the very opening, the accelerando at the end of the first movement - the scale was fine, but the trill is competing dynamically with brass (recording levels?) - the accelerando at the end of the first movment didn't feel like one, either - - The beginning and end of the second movement is way too fast for my taste - The string sound (absent from the first movement) and rhythmic stasis should fascinate after the energetic first movement - it didn't - The middle section was appropriately fast, but not frenzied enough - - The third movement, a variation of the first, felt fore-shortened - maybe it was the juxtapositions of tempi (tricky in Bartok) that made it seem wanting - Leif Ove Andsnes' playing is exemplary throughout (the 2nd movement 'esp./pesante' a highlight)-

The Third Concerto is a bit of a disappointment. The first movement is beautiful - the end especially (it literally evaporates) - - But the second is too slow - And some of the improvisational qualties in the piano part after the middle section seemed very mannered to me - There's a natural flow missing - - The last movement lacks urgency - I don't know if this is the fault of Grimaud or Boulez.

An interesting disc. Technically superior. Musically variable.

Outstanding versions for every concert........2005-11-16

Some years ago I read Pierre Boulez was thinking about recording Bartok's Piano Concertos, in that moment I thought it could be a good collection but not really so great like finally it is. I have to say that in a first moment I had news of a recording with Krystian Zimerman for the three concerts; when I knew Andsnes and Grimaud were involved I thought it could be not so great like if Zimerman alone plays all. I was wrong again in my thoughts; Andsnes and Grimaud give them best and that's really very much.

First of all I have to mention the fact of there are three orchestras and three pianists, all wonderful musicians, like the three outstanding orchestras. It could be a problem for unifying the cycle, but we have a great conductor too, Pierre Boulez, a really specialist master in XXth Century and modern music, who have a very long relation with Bartok's music, as we can listen in his recordings for CBS and now with the outstanding new cycle for DG (that will be followed by his new recordings of Violin Concert Nº1 and Viola Concert, both of them with Berlin and very close to be released). The three concertos are really different between them in essence, the First and Second much more modern and aggressive and the Third much more "classical", lyrical and popular, much more easy to be listened. It's the way of a composer with a life not easy at all, who have lost his own lie in his country and who have to compose in order to survive. This could be a reason for understand the style of the Third concerto; a concerto that could be very far of Boulez's tastes but conducted full of style and charm by the French conductor. In fact, this piano series comes from a very hard and aggressive beginning in number One and decrease in that presence until the Third. Boulez is able to control that changing of style and the complete recording seems to be done with the pianist together discussing dynamics, style, tempi, technical possibilities...

Choosing the orchestras for this recordings it's not easy and Boulez did it really great. The First Concerto is played by an orchestra really full of presence and a very strong personality, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; which percussion and metal section is able to play exactly the style Bartok asks for this piece, very percussive and strong. Zimerman, of course, is a guarantee, as he is really one of the better pianist of our time, ¿the better one?, and he know Bartok's language. I heard him some years ago in A Coruña (Spain), playing this same First Concerto with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia, under Victor Pablo Perez baton, and was amazed by his deep understanding of the work. Like in that concert, all is wonderfully done in this CD, specially the second movement, an Andante that remembers to me the Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion. The crystal-clear playing and conducting makes this movement quite impossible to repeat, a wonder. I know another very, very good recording played by Pollini and Abbado with the same orchestra. The Abbado's conducting is more aggressive and fiery, but not so technical and controlled like Boulez's one. Both are outstanding recordings. Like other reviewer wrote, Abbado opened a way and Boulez marks a developing in that way, a wonderful pair, anyway.

The Second Concerto is a beautiful surprise to me, as I've never heard Andsnes playing Bartok and I'm really amazed by the way he plays, WODERFULLY done every note, every phrase, every dynamic, tempo, pedal's use, echoes, rhythm... Again we have an incredible second movement which remembers to me Charles Ives very, very much in the way it's played, perfect done by the Berliner, with amazing strings and drums. I love the playing of all the orchestras, but I could say the Berliner Philharmoniker could be the best, simply listen it to believe. In this concert, a bit more lyrical than the First, but both in a similar style, Boulez shows a heart some people have doubts about if existed.

And this hearts sings opened in the Third Concerto, with the smooth London Symphony Orchestra and a very lyrical and perfect Helen Grimaud, who plays really beautiful in this last chapter, a very poetic piece with moments of really nostalgia of the lost days and of the lost land. Boulez understand the piece in the very right way, as it's technically well done and he don't lose at all the essence of that feelings, necessary for the piece be complete. Of course there's not the percussive piano you can listen in the first and second concertos, but Grimaud give her best in any moment and sometimes with an aggressive style if it's required. Another wonderful surprise listening her in this repertoire.

The recordings are very, very good, clean and well processed. The balance is marvellous and all the sections are perfect caught by the DG engineers.

Nowadays I have no doubts about this is my favourite CD for this Concertos, wonderful versions for some of the key works of Bartok, according with Boulez's words. Pollini / CSO / Abbado (DG) could be another possibility, very close in style and outstanding too.

Three Triumvirates Lead by One Master.......2005-09-30

The Complete (Three) Bartók Piano Concerti played by three superb pianists supported by three top ranking orchestras + Pierre Boulez equals an unqualified success. One wonders who thought of this format - Boulez, DGG,...? It matters little because the concept of recording each of these glorious Bartók concerti with different soloists and orchestras is like having a good seat on the touring bus with Boulez as he makes his rounds on the podiums of the world's orchestras.

Matching pianists with concerti is a luxury in which Boulez and his intense musicality melds well. For the quirky First Concerto the treacherous score is manned evenly between Krystian Zimmerman and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. For the more lyrical Second Concerto Leif Ove Andsnes is graced by the presence of the magnificent Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. And for the sweet and melancholic Third Concerto Hélène Grimaud collaborates with the London Symphony Orchestra in as fine a performance as is available on CD.

But given the graces of soloists and orchestras, this very fine recording would not have been so in tune with Béla Bartók were it not for the sensitive, perceptive skills of Boulez. He finds the riches of each orchestra's attributes and allows us to hear just why each is so fine. The three interpretations are clearly guided by Boulez' uncanny ability to find the core of the score and allow it to sing. This is one of those recordings that is a first choice for collectors. Absolutely superb! Grady Harp, September 05

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concertos 1, 2 & 3 - Prokofiev: Piano Concerto 5 - Bartok: Piano Concerto 2 - Emil Gilels, Sviatoslav Richter, Lorin Maazel

Average customer rating:

A classic Tchaikovsky Second Concerto, plus astonishing Richter

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concertos 1, 2 & 3 - Prokofiev: Piano Concerto 5 - Bartok: Piano Concerto 2 - Emil Gilels, Sviatoslav Richter, Lorin Maazel

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000EMSIBM
Release Date: 2006-05-02

Tracks:

I. Allegro Non Troppo E Molto Maestoso - Allegro Con Spirito - New Philharmonia Orchestra
II. Andantino Semplice - Prestissimo - Tempo I - New Philharmonia Orchestra
III. Allegro Con Fuoco - New Philharmonia Orchestra
I. Allegro Brillante - New Philharmonia Orchestra
II. Andante Non Troppo - New Philharmonia Orchestra
III. Allegro Con Fuoco - New Philharmonia Orchestra

Tracks:

I. Allegro Brillante - New Philharmonia Orchestra
I. Allegro Con Brio - London Symphony Orchestra
II. Moderato Ben Accentuato - London Symphony Orchestra
III. Toccata (Allegro Con Fuoco) - London Symphony Orchestra
IV. Larghetto - London Symphony Orchestra
V. Vivo - London Symphony Orchestra
I. Allegro - Sviatoslav Richter
II. Adagio - Sviatoslav Richter
III. Allegro Molto - Sviatoslav Richter

Customer Reviews:

A classic Tchaikovsky Second Concerto, plus astonishing Richter.......2006-06-08

The reissue gods are smiling. This bargain Gemini two-fer contains four superlative concerto recordings--the Tchaikovsky Second and Third with Gilels, the Prokofiev Fifth and Bartok Second with Richter. The conductor throughout is Lorin Maazel, definitely on best behavior, and the orchestras vary between the LSO (Prokofiev), New Philharmonia (Tchaikovsky), and the Orchestre de Paris (Bartok). EMI's early Seventies analog sound is bright and forward. The perspective on the piano is natural with Gilels, but as usual, Richter asked to be miked more up close.

Gilels had already made a magisterial Tchaikovsky First with Reiner in 1955 (RCA) when he first stormed West out of Russia, and he would go on to make one just as great in 1980 with Mehta (Sony). This version from 1973 is let down by Maazel's less-than-committed acompaniment, which moves too glibly and quick in the first movement especially. But the Second and Third Concertos are another story. Gilels makes the best case ever for the former work, despite the usual cuts. Maazel livens up, giving us springy rhythms and elegance, while Gilels is polished marble and power. I will be satisfied to own this one version for life, I'm sure.

On CD 2, Richter returns to one of his favorites, the Prokofiev Fifth concdrto, which he had already recorded in 1959 to universal acclaim--this was his time to roar out of Russia and astonish the West. This remake offers somewhat different tempos but the same astonishing solo work. For me, the main distinction is Maazel's razor-sharp, brilliant conducting and the virtuoso playing of the London Sym., wwhich far surpasses the earlier reading on DG. The same holds true for the Bartok Second, where Richter takes a fiendishly difficult, percussive piano part and makes it speak and sing as never before. Pollini is equally riveting in this work but not nearly as approachable. Officially, Richter never recorded the two most popular concertos from these composers, the Prokofiev and Bartok Third. That's a shame, but these great recordings, along with Gilels's' contribution, make this an unmissable bargain.

Prokofiev/Bartok: Pf Concertos Nos. 1 & 3/ Pf Concerto No. 3

Average customer rating:

Unsurpassed Emotional Shading
Martha Argerich...
argerich is amazing
Whoowhee.
A Marriage of Wizardry and Mysticism

Prokofiev/Bartok: Pf Concertos Nos. 1 & 3/ Pf Concerto No. 3
Sergey Prokofiev , Bela Bartok , Charles Dutoit , Martha Argerich , and Orchestre symphonique de Montréal
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000C2J8
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Piano Concerto No.3, Sz. 119: Allegretto
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Piano Concerto No.3 In C, Op.26: Andante - Allegro
Piano Concerto No.3 In C, Op.26: Tema (Andantino) And Variations
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Amazon.com

Martha Argerich first recorded the Prokofiev Third Concerto in the late '60s. Her fiery, hair-trigger playing, abetted by Claudio Abbado's incisive support with the Berlin Philharmonic in top form, set new standards for this warhorse. No one's come close to topping her extraordinary achievement, not even Argerich herself in this remake with Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. The recording quality, for one, is less well defined. Dutoit imparts less character to the orchestral tuttis than Abbado, and Argerich's fingerwork, remarkable by anyone else's standard, is a shade more casual (compare the extensive unison octave runs: stupefyingly perfect in the early version, brilliantly competent here.). By contrast, the pianist's scintillating, witty traversal of Prokofiev's brash First Concerto shines with youthful ardor. While one can easily admire the lyric fire she brings to Bartók's third Concerto, some of her agogic fussings pull focus from, rather than strengthen, the music's inherent classicism. Zoltán Koscis, András Schiff, and Annie Fischer (all Hungarian pianists, not uncoincidentally) imbue their phrasings with a more internalized, speech-like expression. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

Unsurpassed Emotional Shading.......2006-06-16

Why is it that on long drives Piano Concerto No.1 is the piece that wins out among the CDs? Answer: Argerich's sublime shadings. This tightly-composed, wonderfully colored concerto gives Argerich the platform to alternate rapidly among boldness (her fingerwork needn't be defiant to be compelling), extraordinarily deft runs, episodes of darkness and reverie in turn and a well-paced close. For his part, Prokofiev deserves enormous credit for striking just the right balance between piano and orchestra, injecting appropriate touches of coloration without going overboard. And, in my opinion, Dutroit handles the balance between his soloist and his orchestra just fine. Truth be told, I haven't gotten around to listening to Concerto No.3 yet, so riveting is No.1.

Finally, thanks to the producers of NBC's late, lamented Sunday evening news program "First Camera", who had the audacity to use the opening of No.1 as their theme and made me want to hear more. "Sixty Minutes" ultimately buried the program but music lovers with no prior exposure to this wonderful work are the richer for it.

Martha Argerich..........2005-07-26

After reading the other interview, I've decided to "chime-in" with my own, simple review. Ms. Argerich's playing is simply top-rate! The recording, well, it could have used a little work. That's why the four-stars. I paid for this disc. I'd pay (good money) to see Ms. Argerich "do her thing" even at this stage of her life/career.

argerich is amazing.......2005-07-10

dutiot and argerich make a great team they blend very well together espesily in the 3rd concerto, very well played probeley the best 3rd iv every heard though i havent heard them all,though i still like argerich more when she was young but she still is a yellava pianist though her sound is more modern where as dutiot/montreal sound is more romantic but they still blend well together.decide for your self.i give it 4 stars mostly because of the sound,im glad they got john ducursly from london/label to do the engerniering for emi but the sound is kinda dark and a little blurry but wuy carp buy it for the preformence you wont regret it

Whoowhee........2004-06-09

Ms. Argerich has always given a smashing Prokofiev and on this CD you get that, twice. I owned her recording of Prokofiev's Toccata in C Major, Opus 11, before I bought this CD. Stunning. She has turned me on to Prokofiev an unbelievable amount. She plays his music with ease, complete comprehension, complete technique. There is absolutely nothing lacking in these two concertos.
The Bartok concerto, however, is definitely deserved of my highest acclaim. This performance takes absolutely nothing away from the CD. In fact, it has become one of my favorite concertos, and given Argerich a spot as one of my favorite pianists. (She wasn't previously on the list for her distasteful recording of Brahms' G Minor Rhapsody).

5 out of 5. This was a very easy decision, and it should be the same for you to buy it.

A Marriage of Wizardry and Mysticism.......2003-08-25

Martha Argerich has sustained a brilliant career and just seems to become more eloquent with the passing years, adding a rich mysticism to her volcanic energy. And what better concerti to demonstrate these approaches than those on this stunning CD: Prokofiev #1,3 and Bartok #3. Technical perfection would seem an unexplainable bedfellow with a pianist who has always stressed passion and comunication in her idiomatic performances both on the concert stage and on the recorded realm. But that is one of the reasons Argerich has reigned the keyboard for so long. Her ability to dash off the Prokofiev 3rd with such apparent ease allows her to serve the composer's brittle, biting cynicism while retaining the eloquence of the langorous second movement. Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Orchestra are fine companions, if not the sonic splendor source of other better orchestras. It simply works here. This is most definitely a "Desert Isle" must for the CD collection.

Average customer rating:

Mostly Magnificent Menuhin, with a Few Reservations

The Violinist
Yehudi Menuhin , Johann Sebastian Bach , Bela Bartok , Ludwig van Beethoven , Alban Berg , Johannes Brahms , Max Bruch , Arcangelo Corelli , Edward Elgar , Franz Joseph Haydn , Edouard Lalo , Felix Mendelssohn , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Carl Nielsen , Niccolo Paganini , Camille Saint-Saens , Jean Sibelius , Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky , Michael Tippett , Henri Vieuxtemps , Antonio Vivaldi , William Walton , Alberto Lysy , Anatole Fistoulari , Antal Dorati , Anthony Bernard , Gaston Poulet , John Pitchard , Mogens Woldike , Pierre Boulez , and Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000BWTKJ
Release Date: 2003-11-04

Tracks:

I. Allegro
II. Affettuoso
III. Allegro
I. Allegro
II. Andante
III. Allegro Assai
I. Allegro
II. Adagio
III. Allegro Assai
I. Vivace
II. Largo Ma Non Tanto
III. Allegro

Tracks:

Rhapsody No. 2 (Lassu [Moderato] - Friss [Allegro Moderato])
I. Allegro Non Troppo
II. Andante Tranquillo
III. Allegro Molto
I. Andante
I. Allegretto (Scherzando)
II. Allegro
II. Adagio

Tracks:

Romance No. 1 In G Major
I. Allegro Ma Non Troppo (Cadenza: Kreisler)
II. Larghetto
III. Rondo (Allegro) (Cadenza: Kreisler)
I. Allegro Moderato
II. Adagio
III. Finale (Allegro Energico)

Tracks:

Romance No. 2 In F Major, Op. 50
I. Allegro Non Troppo (Cadenza: Kreisler)
II. Adagio
III. Allegro Giocoso, Ma Non Troppo Vivace - Poco Piu Presto
I. Allegro Molto Appassionato
II. Andante
III. Allegretto Non Troppo - Allegro Molto Vivace

Tracks:

I. Allegro
II. Andante
III. Allegro Molto
I. Andante Tranquillo
II. Presto Capriccioso Alla Napolitana & Trio (Canzonetta)
III. Vivace

Tracks:

I. Allegro Moderato (Cadenza: Menuhin)
II. Adagio Molto
III. Finale (Presto) (Cadenza: Menuhin)
I. Allegro
II. Andante Cantabile
III. Rondo (Andante Grazioso - Allegro Ma Non Troppo)
I. Allegro Maestoso
II. Andante
III. Presto

Tracks:

I. Allegro Non Troppo
II. Scherzando (Allegro Molto)
III. Intermezzo (Allegretto Non Troppo)
IV. Andante
V. Rondo (Allegro)
I. Allegro Non Troppo
II. Andantino Quasi Allegretto
III. Molto Moderato E Maestoso - Allegro Non Troppo
Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28
Havanaise, Op. 83

Tracks:

I. Allegro Maestoso (Cadenza: Emile Sauret)
II. Adagio Espressivo
III. Rondo (Allegro Spiritoso)
I. Andante - Moderato - Cadenza
II. Adagio Religioso
III. Scherzo (Vivace) & Trio
IV. Finale (Allegro)
I. Allegro Non Troppo
II. Cadenza
III. Adagio
IV. Allegro Con Fuoco

Tracks:

Serenade Melancolique
I. Allegro Moderato
II. Adagio Di Molto
III. Allegro Ma Non Tanto
I. Praeludium (Largo)
I. Allegro Cavalleresco
II. Intermezzo (Poco Adagio)
II. Rondo (Allegretto Scherzando)

Tracks:

I. Allegro
II. Largo
III. Allegro
I. Allegro Non Molto
II. Adagio
III. Presto
I. Allegro
II. Adagio
III. Allegro
I. Allegro Non Molto
II. Largo
III. Allegro
I. Vivace - Allegro - Adagio - Vivace - Allegro - Largo Andante
II. Allegro
III. Grave - Andante Largo - Allegro
Fantasia Concertante On A Theme Of Corelli

Customer Reviews:

Mostly Magnificent Menuhin, with a Few Reservations.......2004-01-06

The recent trend toward classical box sets focusing on the performer instead of the composer (see my reviews of the various DG/Decca "Original Masters" sets) continues with EMI's new "Yehudi Menuhin - The Violinist." Sure EMI's past sets have showcased individual performances by Samson Francois, Eugen Jochum and Rudolf Kempe to name a few, but it was always under the heading of a given composer's works, and in the cases mentioned above, to Chopin's piano pieces, Bruckner's Symphonies and Strauss' Orchestral Works respectively. Therefore, this Menuhin collection is the first of EMI's "Budget Box Sets" to showcase a performer playing the works of a variety of composers.

As Menuhin was an EMI recording artist for an incredible 68 years (1931-99), his performances for the label number in the hundreds. With so much music from which to choose, this 10-disc set aims "to highlight some of those alternative versions, including recordings that have not been easily available since the days of LP and others that have never previously appeared on CD." Therefore, the obvious mainstream, easily attainable recordings are omitted here -- for example, the Beethoven/Mendelssohn VCs with Furtwangler, the Elgar VC with the composer conducting, and the Bruch/Mendelssohn VCs with Susskind and Kurtz.

However, a lot of this material has been on disc before on titles which the serious collector most likely already owns. Most of the Bach is currently available as part of the Bach "Budget Box Series" title. The Bruch, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Vivaldi VCs were all available in the now out-of-print 2CD EMI Seraphim series. The Elgar and the Walton are still available in the "British Composers" series. And perhaps most annoyingly, the previously unpublished Beethoven VC and Tchaikovsky "Serenade melancolique" (available as a single disc), and the Beethoven Romance No. 2 (available on an EMI Encore title) were both reissued just a few months back.

But let's focus on the positive, which are the other rare performances, the most significant being the never before reissued 1954 performance of Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 4 with John Pritchard and the Philharmonia. Other elusive recordings include Viuextemps and Paganini VCs with Fistoulari, Lalo and Saint-Saens works with Goossens, and excellent Berg and Bartok accounts with Boulez. Though I'm delighted at their inclusion, of lesser importance is a 1965 Bartok VC No. 2 with Dorati -- his mono EMI with Furtwangler and an earlier account with Dorati on Mercury Living Presence are far superior. Also, neither the Sibelius (Boult, 1955) nor Nielsen (Woldike, 1952) Concertos are truly Menuhin's cups of tea.

My last complaint has to do with the packaging. I know I'm being rather trite but it seems that EMI has taken the "slim" out of slim, paper-sleeved box sets with their latest batch of releases. Both this title and the new box of Liszt Orchestral Works by Masur are noticeably thicker than previous EMI sets featuring a similar number of discs. A minor point, but us serious classical collectors need every centimeter of space on our increasingly crowded CD shelves, not to mention the amount of wasted packaging.

Overall though, despite the fact that "Yehudi Menuhin - The Violinist" is not as essential a reissue as its counterparts in the "Original Masters" series, it is a delightful set that most collectors will thoroughly enjoy.

Bartók: The Piano Concertos / Anda, Fricsay, Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin

Average customer rating:

JUST RIGHT
Sorry, I don't hear greatness on this CD
Top notch recordings!
precious document.
The Benchmark Bartok Concerto Set

Bartók: The Piano Concertos / Anda, Fricsay, Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Bartók: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-3
Beethoven: Triple Concerto; Brahms: Double Concerto
Bartok: Viola Concertos
Furtwangler Conducts Brahms - Complete Symphonies, etc / North German RSO, Berlin PO
Missa Solemnis in D major, op.123

ASIN: B000001GPW
Release Date: 1996-01-23

Tracks:

Konzert fvier und Orchester Nr.1: Allegro moderato - Allegro
Konzert fvier und Orchester Nr.1: Andante
Konzert fvier und Orchester Nr.1: Allegro molto
Konzert fvier und Orchester Nr.2: Allegro
Konzert fvier und Orchester Nr.2: Adagio-Presto-Adagio
Konzert fvier und Orchester Nr.2: Allegro molto
Konzert fvier und Orchester Nr.3: Allegretto
Konzert fvier und Orchester Nr.3: Adagio religioso
Konzert fvier und Orchester Nr.3: Allegro vivace

Amazon.com

These classic performances were probably the first recordings of the Bartók Piano Concertos that many of us owned, and they probably put the music on the international map once and for all. Both Ferenc Fricsay and Géza Anda, compatriots of the composer, spared no effort in bringing this music to the widest possible public; and their recordings are not only important for this reason, but they have also withstood the test of time very well indeed. They treat these pieces as straightforward, Romantic piano concertos of the Lisztian "bravura" school, which in many respects they are. Later performances have explored the music's modernity more probingly, but that lessens neither the validity of this approach nor the pleasure of the result. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

JUST RIGHT.......2006-11-04

These might not be the 'Greatest' or even my 'Favorite' versions of these concertos, but somehow, they feel 'Just Right'! A MUST HAVE!!!!

Sorry, I don't hear greatness on this CD.......2005-09-27

Certainly these are idiomatic performances that have held their own for decades. Geza Anda was a Bartok specialist, as was Fricsay. But the recoorded sound is limited, and the orchestra doesn't play to the highest standards. I keep this one aorund for my library, but there aare many spectacular modern versions of these pieces by, for example, Agerich, Pollini, and Ashkenazy that deliver more impact.

Top notch recordings!.......2004-12-22

The fervent sense of dramatis personae in these difficult passages of these dissonant piano concerts demands the most exigent domain of the instrument as well a notable conductor.
When Bartok stated in 1905 : The dissonance ` s empire is mine , certainly he was so far from being lying .
Ferenc Fricsay and Geza Anda gave the best of their craftsmanship to record one of the most notable and above all idiomatic readings of these concerts .
But besides , if you get the Piano Concerts with Gyorgy Sandor (The Complete Piano Concerts with Michael Gielen in the fifties) and a hard to find recording with Fricsay in 1955 with The Vienna Synphony , you will have the essential spirit of this notable composers . But these recordings are priority.
In addition , I recommend you a hidden and two distant recordings of Sandor Ormandy in the Bartok Premiere Third piano and the historic Barok Premiere Third Piano concerto in Europe given for the couple Louis Kentner - Adrian Boult . There was an outstanding Hungarian pianist in the thirties named Edith Farnadi who recorded an excels Liszt but I have got nothing about Bartok , but after listening to her it will be hard to fail ; as well any recording made for Annie Fisher , Zoltan Kocsis and more recently Andras Schiff .
It is not a mere casuality all these named performers are Hungarian . The only point to remark is to these last interpreters that to make a journey with Bela Bartok demands a conduction and such level of commitment that hardly you will be able to find after Fricsay and Kertesz 's deaths .
You may argue than Georg Solti and Istvan Kertesz were remarkable conductors. Yes indeed but I have always thought Solti was an overrated director and besides Solti and Kertesz established with Bartok a distant approach . Solti conducted more Orchestral pieces than Kertsesz but ironically they never found a high caliber pianist to play Bartok piano concertos
Acquire this set . It will reward you. I give you my word.

precious document........2004-11-23

I cannot say what are the definitive versions of Bartok's piano concertos, but this is an amazing set. The orchestra and soloist are exceptional, never afraid to be as light or heavy as the music demands, with an intuitive sensitivity to the score's demands.

Piano Concerto no.2 is my favorite. With his second concerto, Bartok wanted to make it "lighter" and more pleasant to the audience. However, he also desired to remain in the same sphere of compositional style as the first. Thus, he makes no compromises with popular taste, sacrificing nothing in the way of vision or complexity. Although technically similar in many respects, they are different in important ways. Compared to the first's impulsive, prickly development of ideas, the second asserts itself more meticulously, like Bartok's middle string quartets. The first movement is starkly arranged (winds, percussion, piano) but melodically delightful and rhythmically varied. Pianist Géza Anda's approach on the second concerto is in perfect command of the technical elements and also abstracts like the playfulness and eagerness. The deft but sweet conveyance of the second movement's critical presto is remarkable, and the return to adagio in the final section unleashes colossi of dissonant chords over rumbling percussion takes one's breath away. The final movement is best of all: deriving most of its material from the first movement, it is viciously dissonant and rhythmically aggressive. It is also a throwback to the Baroque period with its emphasis on contrapuntal technical and concise thematic development.

The first concerto also factored into this development of merging folksongs with baroque tradition. But despite Bartok's obvious commitment as an ethnomusicologist for Eastern Europe, "folk songs" for Bartok were did not only mean popular songs of the Carpathian Basin, but also other ancient musical traditions like African drum music. This is an important influence on the composition core of the first piano concerto. The rhythmical proto-idea appears at first on piano and brass (low-registers) and from here numerous thematic evolutions unfold. Long considered the most expressive of all instruments, Bartok shapes the music from the percussive qualities of the piano. The percussive aspects of the piano were often important to him. Percussion rises to a key role in this piece, as in the early part of the second movement, a tense exchange between percussions and piano. Then, an exhilarating piano ostinato in 3/8 for many bars, spliced and developed multitexturally and with melodic variation. These are powerful Bartok moments.

The third concerto is less dissonant, "brighter", and more "classical" than the other two. Yet Bartok's spritely melodies are captivating and the piano parts especially imaginative. The second movement is very powerful, with a slow and sparse texture but it develops into a complex formation of musical pinpricks and fragmentary melodies. It is less compelling than the other two, but it reflects a profound, deep atmosphere of uneasy peace.

The Benchmark Bartok Concerto Set.......2004-07-14

This classic set of Bartok's three piano concertos is also available in Anda's volume of "Great Pianists" on Philips, but I think this DG transfer is slightly superior. The recorded sound favors the piano somewhat over the orchestra - I could wish for a little closer orchestral perspective - but overall the sound here is excellent. Here are a few notes on both the music and the performances:

#1. Composed in 1926, this concerto is a muscular and rather dissonant work. The second mvt. Andante is a spooky dialogue between piano and percussion that seems to be a precursor to Bartok's chamber masterpiece: the Sonata for 2 Pianos and Percussion. This performance is one of the two finest I have heard; the other was on Bartok LP 313 (the label of Bartok's son Peter, a gifted recording engineer), with pianist Leonid Hambro and the Zimbler Sinfonietta conducted by Robert Mann (better known as the 1st violinist of the Juilliard Quartet, which left stunning recordings of the Six String Quartets). The mono sound on that disc (now available on CD) is close-up and clear as a bell, with a 2nd mvt. that is downright frightening in its primitive, wailing loneliness.

#2. Completed in 1931, this concerto strikes me as the finest of the three - it's far more contrapuntal and surely the hardest to play. In the 1st mvt., the piano takes charge from the beginning and plays almost continuously, while the strings are rather oddly silent throughout. Anda here is incredibly bold and extroverted - he obviously had technique to burn! The eerie 2nd mvt opening in the strings will sound familiar to anyone who has savored TV sci-fi of the 1960's: a very similar passage was employed by Dominic Frontiere in his music for "The Outer Limits." This mvt. is half Adagio and half Scherzo, and again the piano predominates. The Finale is an elaborate rondo which cleverly transforms the thematic/rhythmic elements heard in the 1st mvt.

Anda and Fricsay are wonderfully in sync throughout. Another stunning account of this work is the "live" 1969 concert reading by Claude Helffer, with Ernest Bour leading the Orchestre National de France on deleted INA Vogue 672006. That's a CD worth seeking out: I think its 2nd mvt. is a bit more compelling than Anda/Fricsay's. It is coupled with a really extraordinary live 1950 account of the Viola Concerto by William Primrose (for whom it was written), and the most savagely dramatic "Miraculous Mandarin" I have ever heard. And perhaps DG Westminster will get around to a CD re-issue of the c.1953 recording of Concertos 2 & 3 with Hungarian Edith Farnadi (daintier and more pointillistic than Anda), with remarkable conducting by Hermann Scherchen (his very slow introduction in the 2nd mvt. is disquietingly eerie). I have not heard the Sviatoslav Richter/Lorin Maazel account (EMI) - it is said to be superb.

#3. This is the only piano concerto that was not commissioned. The sick and impoverished Bartok wanted to give his wife Ditta a work with exclusive performance rights attached so as to insure her financial future. All but 18 bars of the concerto's orchestration was completed when Bartok was rushed to the hospital on 22 Sept. 1945 - he died there 4 days later. His protege Tibor Serly completed it (as he also did with the Viola Concerto). This is a gorgeous piece of music - it is Bartok's most romantic and meditative concerto. There is a subtle interplay of folk tune elements, and the slow mvt. Adagio Religioso seems like a humble prayer (almost Coplandesque in its simple, valedictory quality), with the usual demons almost at bay.

Anda and Fricsay give a performance that is both virile and sensitive; in many respects, it contains this set's finest moments. Fricsay constantly dmonstrates what an insightful and authoritative Bartok interpreter he was - if you haven't heard his Concerto for Orchestra or MSPC (both on DG), you are missing some terrific music making. Although only in mono, those recordings are among the finest ever, along with Reiner in the former and Mravinsky and Reiner in the latter.

For collectors, there is also a very interesting #3 on Dante CD 158, which features a c.1948 recording by Tatiana Nikolaieva with the USSR Radio under Nikolai Anosov (who, incidentally, was father of conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky). It's in pretty good sound given the source and has some fine pianism and very plangent wind playing. It is coupled with an uncut version of Tchaikovsky's 2nd Piano Concerto (my favorite reading).

Tracks:

Cello Concerto In E Minor, Op.85: Adagio - Moderato
Cello Concerto In E Minor, Op.85: Lent - Allegro Molto
Cello Concerto In E Minor, Op.85: Adagio
Cello Concerto In E Minor, Op.85: Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Cello Concerto In B Minor, Op.104: Allegro
Cello Concerto In B Minor, Op.104: Adagio Ma Non Troppo
Cello Concerto In B Minor, Op.104: Finale: Allegro Moderato
Rhapsody No.1 For Cello And Orchestra: Lassu
Rhapsody No.1 For Cello And Orchestra: Friss

Average customer rating:

Bartók: Piano Concertos 1 & 2

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Average customer rating:

A good one, but not The One
Finally he reveals his true ability

Bartók: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-3

Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000000S91
Release Date: 1997-02-18

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No.1, Sz 83: Allegro moderato - Allegro
Piano Concerto No.1, Sz 83: Andante
Piano Concerto No.1, Sz 83: Allegro - Allegro molto
Piano Concerto No.2, Sz 95: Allegro
Piano Concerto No.2, Sz 95: Adagio - Presto - Adagio
Piano Concerto No.2, Sz 95: Allegro molto
Piano Concerto No.3, Sz 119: Allegretto
Piano Concerto No.3, Sz 119: Adagio religioso
Piano Concerto No.3, Sz 119: (Allegro vivace)

Customer Reviews:

A good one, but not The One.......2001-05-24

Schiff is an excellent pianist. Emotional and incredibly musical with a perfect technique. Nevertheless, this is not his finest recording. In my reading, Bartok's piano concertos are much harder, much more elemental than the soft interpretation of Andras Schiff. This certainly does not make this CD a bad buy, it is an interesting approach, just not the perfect one, in my view. (Have you heard the one with Kocsis, for instance?)

Finally he reveals his true ability.......1998-12-01

Always his recordings do not sound as good as his live performances. Before I went to his recital, I thought that he was just one of the boring pianists just judging by his rather-detached performances of Bach on Decca label. So I was truly astonished by his tone richness when I had an opportunity to go to his concert. At that time he played works for 2 pianos with Peter Serkin (in Minneapolis). Sorry for Serkin, a son of the great pianist in 20th century, but Schiff's sounds was always sticking out and truly dominated that performance. In this anticipated Bartok's concertos, recordings finally caught his true ability with piano. His hands never make too much harsh sounds as can be heard in most of Bartok's performances. I am amazed that Bartok's concertos can sound like this, exquisite, elegant, refined, and colorful. If you are tired of too much aggressive performances of Bartok, then you must listen to this CD. Strongly recommended.

Average customer rating:

Bronfman's Bartok is joyless, disorgnized, and raucous
Three Masterpieces Superbly Performed by Pianist and Orchestra.
The Benefits of Camaraderie
maybe not best choice
Outstanding value

Bartók: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-3

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3
Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 3, & 5
Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra; Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta
Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio in Am Op50; Arensky: Trio No1
Béla Bartók: Divertimento / Dance Suite / Hungarian Sketches / Two Pictures - Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Pierre Boulez

ASIN: B00005NWO0
Release Date: 2001-09-11

Tracks:

Con No.2: I. Allegro
Con No.2: II. Adagio - Presto - Adagio
Con No.2: III. Allegro Molto
Con No.3: I. Allegretto
Con No.3: II. Adagio Religioso - Poco Piu Mosso - Tempo I
Con No.3: III. Allegro Vivace
Con No.1: I. Allegro Moderato - Allegro - Allegro Moderato
Con No.1: II. Andante
Con No.1: III. Allegro Molto

Customer Reviews:

Bronfman's Bartok is joyless, disorgnized, and raucous.......2007-02-21

As someone who knows and loves these three works, I expected a great deal from an avowed modernist like Salonen and the Russian emigre virtuoso Yefim Bronfman. But what we get here is raucous and disorganized readings--it's literally as if Bronfman just sat down and banged out the notes. Nor does Salonen offer much help; he has no overall conception of any of the three concertos--there's a good deal of detailed twiddling but very little in the way of atmosphere or emotion. YOu would think that Bartok wrote strings of difficult keyboard music with not much intention except to make a noise, along with some striking incidental effects. I will stick with individual favorites like Argerich/Dutoit in the First, Pollini/Abbado in the Second, and Ashkenazy/Solti in the Third, with backups such as the brilliant partial set from Barenboim and Boulez on EMI--buy that disc if you want to hear what color, emotion, and inner vitality are all about.

Three Masterpieces Superbly Performed by Pianist and Orchestra........2006-07-29

As Harris Goldsmith states in the 4-page essay that accompanies this CD, "Bela Bartok's works for piano and orchestra have an authority and individuality that bespeak first-hand knowledge and experience. Present-day musicians tend to forget that the Hungarian master was one of this century's greatest pianists - a keyboard virtuoso of incandescent brilliance as well as a unique, creative genius. Most of what he composed for the piano was tailored to fit his own persona and larger-than-life instrumental gifts."

There are a number of excellent recordings of these three great piano concertos, made by some of the most talented pianists in the world, from the benchmark 1961 recording by Bartok's Hungarian compatriot, Geza Anda, to more recent releases by other Hungarian pianists, Zoltan Kocsis, Jeno Jando, and Andras Schiff, to recordings by Martha Argerich and Sviatoslav Richter among others. In the end, selecting a favorite interpretation is ultimately a matter of nuances and individual preference.

Regarding the comments by the reviewer, Robert Estes, about the sound engineering on this CD, perhaps if a Telarc-like crystal-clear bright sound had been attempted on these three dynamic and powerful concertos, it might have yielded a sonic impression that would not necessarily be "front-row-center" but rather "in-your-face," with the listener rushing to adjust the volume control with each change from an allegro to an adagio movement, and back again. In fact, that is essentially the experience I had after following Mr. Estes' recommendation and ordering the recording of these concertos by Peter Donohoe, with Simon Rattle conducting. The sound was somewhat more clear and bright, but with the downside that on some sections, particularly those featuring percussion or horn instruments, the sound quality went beyond being clear to being, at least for me, uncomfortably sharp. Of course, someone else with a different sound system, and making their own adjustments to their graphic equalizer, might have a better listening experience with the Donohoe/Rattle recording. However, in addition, while I found the Donohoe/Rattle performance to be very good, even excellent, something about it, at least for me, lacked the inspirational, magnificent quality of this Bronfman/Salonen recording. These are admittedly subjective impressions, probably influenced by the type of stereo system, including graphic equalizer and type of speakers, and perhaps even by the acoustics of the room where one is listening to these performances. Nevertheless, having listened to each of these performances not once but several times, on my stereo systems at home, in the office, and in my car, I still prefer this version, by Bronfman/Salonen.

On the Bronfman/Salonen recording, the sound engineers have provided a sonic picture that places the listener not at front-row-center, but at about 20th-row-center, which is still a very good place to be. What may be lost in terms of a feeling of immediacy of the instruments is gained by an impression of the concert hall's spaciousness. As for the clarity of the recording, I was quite pleased. Every note in this inspired performance is captured, from the loudest, most percussive, rapid-fire fff fortissimo measures, resounding with earth-shaking power, to the softest, most gentle and slow ppp pianisimo measures, sounding like an aural impression of the touch of the softest silk.

Having recently bought Yefim Bronfman's recording of Beethoven's 3rd and 4th Piano Concertos, with David Zinman, and now his recording of Bartok's three piano concertos, have made me a Bronfman fan.

His performance of these Bartok concertos is stunning. Bronfman sails through the most technically challenging rapid passages, playing machine-gun-rapid successions of staccato chords and octaves with complete mastery and passion, and plays the adagio passages with the utmost finesse and beautiful sensitivity. Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic are also in top form, with the pianist and the orchestra in perfect balance and harmony.

Bronfman's fantastic pianistic pyrotechnics illuminate the beauty and energy of Bartok's music. He is a gifted pianist who gives a brilliant performance of these three concertos, evoking the whole spectrum of human emotion, from the power and exuberance of the allegro passages to the tender, romantic, wistful feeling of the adagio passage of the third piano concerto, written in the final year of Bartok's life, when he knew he was dying of leukemia and wanted to leave something to his wife, through this concerto, that would bring her some financial support after his death. The third piano concerto, especially the adagio passage, is a very moving musical statement of a dying man's love for his wife. Bronfman's performance of this movement, as of all the other movements of this and the two other piano concertos, is sublime. Very highly recommended. Total Playing Time = 75:40.

The Benefits of Camaraderie.......2006-01-14

Esa-Pekka Salonen is one of the finest collaborators with concerto soloists on the podium today. His intense musicality, his gentlemanly respect for the soloist, and his penchant for keeping an astute eye on the overall architecture of a work make him a soloist's dream. Couple that with the grandeur of playing of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the results are almost guaranteed.

This very fine recording of the three Bartók piano concerti with brilliant pianist Yefim Bronfman is a case in point. The three concerti each have particular demands and not every pianist is successful in interpreting all three (Boulez' recent superb recording used three separate pianists and orchestras; Zimerman and Chicago, Andsnes and Berlin, Grimaud and London). But there is a magic that occurs here with the consistency of forces that makes this recording indeed one of the finest. Bronfman is equally at home with the ferociously percussive sections as he is with the almost inaudibly gentle musings of the slow movements. Salonen partners him with his usual inimitable stature of collaboration. The CD is a must for anyone's collection.

At a recent performance of the LA Phil, Salonen brought Lang Lang to the stage for the Bartók #2, apparently for the purpose of recording the work live for DGG, the first recordings to be made in Disney Hall. While this may seem an interesting venture on paper, in the hall Lang Lang seemed out of place, glued to the musical score that captured more of his attention than the passion of the work. But the recorded performance without the visual distraction of seeing him rely on a score may prove better to the ear than the performance.

While the Boulez traversal of these three concerti is hard to beat, this recording is very strong and at this exceptional value it is a perfect introduction to those unfamiliar with these great works superbly played. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, January 06

maybe not best choice.......2002-08-10

This is a pretty good recording and probably worth the money, but not the one I'd recommend. Maybe just the fault of the sound engineer, but the piano does not come through strongly enough. Instead go for Andras Schiff with Ivan Fisher and Budapest Festival Orchestra.

Outstanding value.......2002-03-29

Summary for busy individuals: Pro - outstanding performances by soloist and orchestra; tough to beat for 8 bucks. Con - sub-par sound engineering.

Details: These are truly wonderful performances of Bartok's great piano concertos; but if you have other recordings of these pieces, you may be disappointed with the overall sound balance. Bartok's orchestral works require a high level of virtuosity from the soloist and orchestra. I enjoy these works more when the often-delicate interplay between the pianist and individual orchestra members is more clearly captured.

To appreciate the difference, you will need to spend a few more dollars to purchase the Peter Donohue/Simon Rattle digital recording (EMI 7 54871 2) where you will easily hear details which are oft-times rather muddled on the Sony disc, particularly during more frantic segments of "Allegro" movements in the first and second concertos. Following along with a copy of the score will help even more. They did a bit better during the slower-paced, lower level second movements; but it's not what I would expect from "24-bit technology...used to maximize sound recording" (as described in the liner credits).

My guess is that they didn't do their homework analyzing the acoustics of the chosen recording sites. They wisely chose to avoid the sonically questionable Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, heading to Long Beach for 1 & 3 and UCLA's Royce Hall for #2. Of these, the second concerto (which starts the disc) sounds best to me. Maybe they let interns set up the mikes and run the mixer - hard to say, but the rather distant sound doesn't do justice to these remarkable performances. Makes you wish they would have sub-contracted recording to a crew from Telarc, EMI or London.

Another alternative, still a benchmark after 40 years, is Geza Anda's award-winning DGG recording from 1960 (447 399-2 - another Amazon "Most Popular" choice), now digitally re-mastered and available for only a couple of dollars more. If you love this music, you will want this one anyway - it still sounds fresh and exciting, a tribute to Deutsche Grammophon's cutting-edge analog technology from those days. Bronfman's performance is actually quite reminiscent of Anda's, appropriately percussive and energetic for the allegros, delicate and refined for the adagios; and the orchestra plays splendidly at all times.

Tracks:

Allegro Moderato
Andante
Allegro Molto
Allegro
Adagio - Piu Adagio - Presto
Allegro Molto
Allegretto
Adagio Religioso
Allegro Vivace

Amazon.com

Here is another great deal courtesy of Naxos, the budget label that has the full-priced competition running for cover. Here are Bartók's three spectacular piano concertos, played to a fare-thee-well by accomplished Hungarian artists who know the music as if they were born listening to it (which they probably were). Jenö Jandó has been the "house pianist" for Naxos, recording everything from the complete Beethoven piano sonatas to all of the Mozart piano concertos--and generally very well too. Here, however, he's on home ground. You expect these performances to be special, and Jandó doesn't let us down. The recording is quite fine, too. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Definitive.......2005-03-18

I say definitive not only because the performances are stellar and the sound quality is wonderful, but also because you could not get closer to the culture of Hungary, from which Bartok took so much influence, than with the Hungarian pianist Jeno Jando and the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. Highly recommended.

I Gave This FIVE Stars, Not Four!.......2004-02-21

(I don't know why Amazon printed my review showing only four stars instead of five! And I hope my apostrophes don't turn into question marks. Why does that happen?)

I've been trying to find a CD that competes with the recordings by Vladimir Ashkenazy and The London Philharmonic (which are admittedly not perfect).

I wish the recordings by Zoltan Kocsis were still available.

This disc, featuring Jeno Jando and the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, is very good.

At first I was reluctant to give it five stars because there were several parts which disappointed me, and there are so many other Bartok piano concerto CD's on the market. After buying every one of those other compact discs, this turned out to be the best overall.

The weaknesses I perceived had to do with the balance of the orchestra, specifically on portions of concertos #3 and #1.

I've discovered that if you play this disc at high volume, those weaknesses will be obscured.

Jeno Jando's performance is excellent,
and all three finales are played up-tempo.
That is a rare occurrence.

I disagree with reviewers who don't appreciate Bartok's third concerto. Although it is certainly much lighter and more traditional than the previous two, it is actually my favorite. Composed while Bela Bartok was dying, I like to think that he wrote it with one foot in paradise.

What, only one other review for this CD?.......2002-04-11

This CD is a very exciting account of all Bartok's 3 concertos for piano. The first two seem to share the most in common in terms of the musical language, and both are of the highest quality in my opinion (I tend to agree with Karl Henzy about the 3rd). Actually, I think the 1st and 2nd are even better than the Concerto for Orchestra, but then I am a piano addict. There is a very raw energy behind all the play between instruments that is quite unlike any other composer. The sudden transitions into formal-sounding counterpoint are very striking, maybe even a bit humorous, although the concertos overall certainly are not. Anyway, easily two of the best piano concertos I own, so don't hesitate to buy this.

Great Concertos, well played, great price........1999-12-19

It's tough to beat Naxos, considering how inexpensive their discs are. And there generally is no sacrifice in quality of performance--certainly not on this disc. Bartok has to be considered one of the great revolutionaries in writing for the piano. More than anyone, he makes it into a fantastic percussion instrument. In the 1st Concerto, where this is most evident, the Piano sounds like the warlord leader, and the orchestra like his supporting gang. The slow movement in the 1st is a great example of B's "Night Music," some of the most compelling slow music ever. The 2d Concerto is Bartok's response to neo-classicism, starting off with Baroque-sounding trumpets, then gradually breaking apart into his usual madhouse. The 3d Concerto, from my point of view, is a disappointment. He was tired and dying (and yet the unfinished Viola Concerto has energy). Fans of this disc should also try Bartok's Piano Sonata, his suite for Piano "Out of Doors," and his Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion.

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