Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2; Rhapsodies Nos. 1 & 2

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
In his Bartók recordings, Boulez concentrates on the lyrical and intellectual aspects of the music. Shaham goes along with him very well, and they produce some exquisitely beautiful moments, along with extremely clear renderings of the orchestration. But the peasant earthiness so much a part of Bartók's musical makeup is largely absent from these performances, and when Boulez tries to whip up a rousing climax, the result sounds unconvincing. The late Sir Yehudi Menuhin brings out more aspects of this music, with the composer's student Antal Dorati conducting, as does Isaac Stern. This disc is mostly for those who find Bartók too noisy. --Leslie Gerber

Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2; Rhapsodies Nos. 1 & 2, Music, Bela Bartok, Pierre Boulez, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Gil Shaham, Chamber, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Concerto, Orchestral & Symphonic, Violin Concerto, Violin with Keyboard

Average customer rating:

lovely concerto, sparkling performance

Shaham's Performance Is Exquisitely Rhapsodic

Shaham's Playing Is Impeccable

fantastic

Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2; Rhapsodies Nos. 1 & 2

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Bartók, Béla | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Bartok: The Piano Concertos

Béla Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra / 4 Orchestral Pieces - Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Pierre Boulez

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

Béla Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin / Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta - Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus / Pierre Boulez

Béla Bartók: Divertimento / Dance Suite / Hungarian Sketches / Two Pictures - Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Pierre Boulez

ASIN: B00000I938
Release Date: 1999-03-09

Tracks:

Concerto For Violin And Orchestra No. 2: I. Allegro non troppo
Concerto For Violin And Orchestra No. 2: II. Andante tranquillo
Concerto For Violin And Orchestra No. 2: III. Allegro molto
Rhapsody For Violin And Orchestra No.1: I. Lassu: Moderato
Rhapsody For Violin And Orchestra No.1: II. Friss: Allegretto moderato
I. Lassu: Moderato
II. Friss: Allegretto moderato

Amazon.com

In his Bartók recordings, Boulez concentrates on the lyrical and intellectual aspects of the music. Shaham goes along with him very well, and they produce some exquisitely beautiful moments, along with extremely clear renderings of the orchestration. But the peasant earthiness so much a part of Bartók's musical makeup is largely absent from these performances, and when Boulez tries to whip up a rousing climax, the result sounds unconvincing. The late Sir Yehudi Menuhin brings out more aspects of this music, with the composer's student Antal Dorati conducting, as does Isaac Stern. This disc is mostly for those who find Bartók too noisy. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

lovely concerto, sparkling performance.......2002-01-21

I have found Bartok's string quartets to be stunning, and likewise his piano concertos. What, then, of the violin concerto? Beautiful and compelling! I've been listening to it incessantly for a couple of weeks now. The performance is superb. I haven't heard the earlier Menuhin or Stern recordings, but Shaham is supple and expressive, Boulez and the CSO are impeccable, and the recording quality is clear and warm. Do not be put off by the supposedly absent "peasant earthiness," or the implication that Boulez smooths over Bartok's "noisiness" -- I for one prefer the Takacs Quartet's gypsy interpretation of the string quartets. Listen in the second movement, and you will hear an ethereal Debussian passage with harp interrupted by dissonant sawing! Clearly an outbreak of earthy noisiness. Bartok should not be caricatured as "the Hungarian folk music" composer, his vision was far more encompassing! Having said that, the rhapsodies are marvelous as well, combining Hungarian gypsy and Romanian peasant melodies in a more urbane, commercial style than some of his earlier works, according to Paul Griffiths' liner notes.

Shaham's Performance Is Exquisitely Rhapsodic.......2001-11-22

This fine CD is my introduction to Gil Shaham's excellent violin playing. I'm stunned by the beautiful, warm tone he produces from his violin. Surely these are among the finest performances I have heard of Bartok's works for the violin and orchestra. Boulez leads a clinical, yet lyrical, performance of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra that is full rate, yet not quite as compelling as those I've heard with Boulez conducting the Cleveland and London Symphony orchestras in his Deutsche Grammophon recording of the Ravel Piano Concertos. Still, this is a minor criticism of what is otherwise a superb CD. Of course, the sound quality is absolutely impeccable, thanks to Deutsche Grammophon's state-of-the-art digital recording.

Shaham's Playing Is Impeccable.......2001-02-20

Gil Shaham plays his violin more cleanly than many violinists out there. And he doesn't sacrifice virtuosity or lyricism to get that beautiful tone. In this particular concerto (and two rhapsodys), Shaham turns in an incredible performance equaling the great recordings of the past in playing. This violin concerto hasn't gained the popularity of say a Brahms violin concerto, but it certainly has great moments within it. One of the problems of this recording is not Gil Shaham, but Pierre Boulez. The ending is problematic and it leaves you wondering how the piece could have ended like that. The way Boulez has the orchestra playing makes the listener think Bartok must have just gotten sick of writing at some point so, mid-sentence he just wrote a quick ending and made an end of the concerto. That being said, it's still a terrific recording. Both soloist and orchestra do a superb job playing.

fantastic.......1999-05-31

i don't know too much about Bartok. But I really like this disc: somehow it's very accessible/colloquial. The violin work is impeccable as always with Shaham, and the pieces are indelibly memorable.

Béla Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2; Rhapsodies Nos. 1 & 2

Average customer rating:

First Rate Recordings

Béla Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2; Rhapsodies Nos. 1 & 2

Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Prokofiev: Violin Concertos 1 & 2; Stravinsky: Violin Concerto

ASIN: B000006L7E
Release Date: 1994-05-24

Customer Reviews:

First Rate Recordings.......2007-03-26

The Violin Concerto of Beal Bartok was written for violinist Zoltan Szekely, who convinced the composer to write a concerto instead of the set of variations that was Bartok's initial idea. This concerto has been renumbered as the second since the discovery of a concerto written in the early 1920's for Stefi Geyer, with whom Bartok was intimate with at the time. The concerto has lush harmonies and nothing of the composers more astringent works, such as the First Piano Concerto. The concerto was completed in 1938. After a short orchestral introduction, the soloist enters with a soaring melody that sets the tone for the movement. The second movement is more intimate and is a set of six variations with the soloist playing against smaller grouping of the orchestra. The finale returns to the full use of the orchestra and has some difficult passagework for the soloist. Kyung-Wha Chung plays this demanding work beautifully and is nicely supported by Simon Rattle and the City of Birmingham Orchestra.

The concerto is paired with the two Rhapsodies for Violin and Orchestra that were written in 1928 for Joseph Szigeti and Zoltan Szekely. The Rhapsodies are in two movements and have a Hungarian style similar to the Hungarian works of Franz Liszt. They are approachable virtuosic works with appealing dance melodies. This disc received excellent reviews when it was issued and the performances remain my first choice. I grew up with the records by Yehudi Menuhin and Kyung-Wha Chung plays with a similar depth of feeling for the music; a very satisfying disc.

Béla Bartók: The Wooden Prince, Op. 13 (Long Suite) / Rhapsodies Nos. 1 & 2 for Violin & Orchestra / Rhapsody Op. 1 for Piano & Orchestra - Gérard Poulet / Noël Lee / Luca Pfaff / RAI Symphony Orchestra, Turin

Average customer rating:

Béla Bartók: The Wooden Prince, Op. 13 (Long Suite) / Rhapsodies Nos. 1 & 2 for Violin & Orchestra / Rhapsody Op. 1 for Piano & Orchestra - Gérard Poulet / Noël Lee / Luca Pfaff / RAI Symphony Orchestra, Turin

Manufacturer: Arion
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000000U02
Release Date: 1994-10-18

Tracks: