Béla Bartók: Cantata Profana/The Wooden Prince

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Pierre Boulez has recorded all of this music before, and very successfully. Those recordings are available at mid-price on Sony, and though the recorded sound is a bit better on these newer discs, you can't really go wrong either way. Boulez has always brought a special measure of incisiveness and clarity to Bartók, sometimes at the cost of a certain emotional warmth--but that's not a criticism that applies to this pair of immaculately played performances. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra knows this music as well as any orchestra in the world, and its chorus is one of the country's finest. So if the coupling appeals to you, go for it! --David Hurwitz

Béla Bartók: Cantata Profana/The Wooden Prince, Music, Bela Bartok, Pierre Boulez, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, John Aler, John Tomlinson, 20th/21st Century Ballet, Ballet, Cantata, Choral, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music

Béla Bartók: The Wooden Prince / Cantata Profana - John Aler / John Tomlinson / Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus / Pierre Boulez
Average customer rating:

Great Offering by two of my favorites.

One of the better recordings Bartók & Boulez.

A fantastic set!

Boulez conducting Bartok's "Cantata Profana"

Boulez good.

Béla Bartók: The Wooden Prince / Cantata Profana - John Aler / John Tomlinson / Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus / Pierre Boulez

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Bartók, Béla | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
Cantatas | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
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ASIN: B000001GGY
Release Date: 1992-11-10

Tracks:

Cantata Profana Sz 94, The Nine Splendid Stags: There Was One An Old Man. Molto moderato - Allegro molto
Cantata Profana Sz 94, The Nine Splendid Stags: But Their Father Grew Impatient, Andante
Cantata Profana Sz 94, The Nine Splendid Stags: There Was One An Old Man.., Moderato
The Wooden Prince Sz 60 (Op. 13), Ballet Pantomime In One Act By Bela Bazs: Introduction, Molto moderado
The Wooden Prince Sz 60 (Op. 13), Ballet Pantomime In One Act By Bela Bazs: First Dance: Dance Of The Princess In The Forest
The Wooden Prince Sz 60 (Op. 13), Ballet Pantomime In One Act By Bela Bazs: Second Dance: Dance Of The Trees, Assai moderato
The Wooden Prince Sz 60 (Op. 13), Ballet Pantomime In One Act By Bela Bazs: Third Dance: Dance of the Waves, Andante
The Wooden Prince Sz 60 (Op. 13), Ballet Pantomime In One Act By Bela Bazs: Fourth Dance: Dance Of The Princess With The Wooden Prince, Allegro
The Wooden Prince Sz 60 (Op. 13), Ballet Pantomime In One Act By Bela Bazs: Fifth Dance: The Princess Pulls And Tugs At The Wooden Prince, Meno mosso (subito)
The Wooden Prince Sz 60 (Op. 13), Ballet Pantomime In One Act By Bela Bazs: Sixth Dance: She Tries To Attract The Real Prince With Her Seductive Dancing
The Wooden Prince Sz 60 (Op. 13), Ballet Pantomime In One Act By Bela Bazs: Seventh Dance: Dismayed, The Princess Attempts To Hurry After The Prince, But The Forest Bars Her Way, Moderato

Amazon.com

Pierre Boulez has recorded all of this music before, and very successfully. Those recordings are available at mid-price on Sony, and though the recorded sound is a bit better on these newer discs, you can't really go wrong either way. Boulez has always brought a special measure of incisiveness and clarity to Bartók, sometimes at the cost of a certain emotional warmth--but that's not a criticism that applies to this pair of immaculately played performances. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra knows this music as well as any orchestra in the world, and its chorus is one of the country's finest. So if the coupling appeals to you, go for it! --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Great Offering by two of my favorites........2007-03-17

Long before I started appreciating Stravinsky, Bartok was my favorite 20th century composer, mostly on the strength of his piano concerti and his Divertimento for Celeste, percussion and so on, plus his adaptation of Hungarian folk music (being 1/2 Hungarian helped a lot here). So, it's surprising it took me so long to discover these works, but what a discovery they are, especially in the hands of the preeminant conductor of modern music, Maestro Boulez. I am not a great fan of ballet performances, but this music (as with Stravinsky's 'The Rites of Spring') really make me interested in seeing this 'Ballet pantomine' performed. This is also easily more interesting than some of Bartok's other works, such as the first piano concerto.

One of the better recordings Bartók & Boulez........2005-11-16

This is, with no doubt, one of the better recordings Boulez has done of Bartók's music, as far as I know. I have all his new Bartók recordings for DG, in which we can find jewels like the Piano Concertos or the Four Pieces. I know too his old recording of the Wooden Prince for CBS and this is even much more better, and the old one was really great too.

Boulez conducting is clear in all the pieces, specially in the Wooden Prince and the orchestral playing is really breathtaking, something outstanding, ideal for Bartók's music, in which they have a long-term relation, as you can listen in his previous recordings with Reiner, Abbado or Solti.

The Cantata Profana is marvellous too, singers, chorus and orchestra give them best to build a marvellous tale, full of colour and mistery, as the Cantata is a hermetic piece in fact. I've listened this work in Solti's hands and of course it could be a bit more idiomatic and folk, more hungarian, but even so, Boulez's version is marvellous, specially from the technical point of view.

The recording is amazing, I think this CD was Grammy for the technical recording, there's no doubt about the recording quality, it's clear, well-balanced, great range of dynamics, very well recorded all the orchestral sections...

In my opinion a CD which is a must be for all Bartók's lovers. Nowadays this CD it's out of DG's catalogue, so don't miss this oportunity.

A fantastic set!.......2005-11-03

Pierre Boulez, as the good wine seems to improve through the years and enhancing exponentially in what Bartok concerns. This work is another additional sample of his magisterial enhancement through the years. The particular emphasis in the architectonic lines and the astonishing handle of the dark dissonances, confers him a well deserved seat of honor. This Wooden Prince is one of the best you can get in the market, as well as Cantata Profana, that you may easily consider the best version ever recorded to date.

A golden album. Absolutely recommended.

Boulez conducting Bartok's "Cantata Profana".......2000-08-19

I truly claim that when it comes on performing Bartok, Boulez is the best. "Cantata Profana" is one of my favorite music by Bartok, and the performance is excellent. Compared to Solti's recording, it was a bit more exciting, but less melancholy. But the performance is very fine: the orchestra, the choir, and the two singers, a bit finer than Solti's, even though he's a very excellent conductor himself.

"The Wooden Prince" is pretty fine too, even though this is the only recording I heard so far. But Boulez is good enough.

If you want Bartok, I believe that you should buy Boulez, from Grammophon. There's a collection of Bartok's music conducted by Boulez.

Boulez good........2000-02-11

This disc is easily one of my very favorite discs in my 500-or-so CD collection. Some of my friends in the Chicago Symphony mentioned that when Boulez first conducted them, most of them hated him because he was stuffy, academic, and annoying. However, every one of them says that as he has come back to Chicago to conduct from time to time recently, he is one of the most beloved and respected conductors they now play under. They cite his recently acquired sense of humor and the undeniabile superiority of his musicianship. In any event, on this disc one can certainly discern that the entire orchestra is very happy to have him up front: they all play their best here. (I am always amused when I listen to this recording, however, at one slightly late tympani beat.)