Bartok Solo Piano Works Volume 1

Editorial Reviews
AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE: May/June 1999
There's more to Bartok's music than meets the eye-or the ear. Nowadays the debt he owed to recording technology as far back as 1905 (when he first met Zoltan Kodaly) is little more than a dim memory, save for a handful of scholars and his most ardent devotees. But Bartok was a devoted collector relying on wax cylinders to record and study thousands of indigenous Eastern European folk tunes. Indeed, in his effort to codify in music the diatonic constructions of the gypsy and peasant cultures of Bulgaria, Hungary, Serbia and Romania he elevated the natural charms of a backwoods genre to high art. It is fitting that the very technology that played midwife to Bartok's melismatic exoticisms now offers an ideal format for their realization. In her exhaustive survey of his complete piano works (these are the first three out of seven CDs), June de Toth proves herself a smart, solid, and reliable pianist. She offers thoughtful and often eloquent readings that reject both hysteria and the kind of kamikaze approach of so many young piano lions. Its overall sobriety and discipline is such that the music speaks for itself. In the wistful 'Street of Istvand', for example, or in the rugged yet oddly seductive sailor song 'In the Harbor of Nagyvarad', her no-nonsense surefootedness gives ample voice to Bartok's nostalgic melancholia. Indeed, in these works, part of the 42 Hungarian Folk Songs for Children, she fathoms each as a kind of apposite gestuary of hemiolas and unnerving hesitations, and as the stuff of musical speech. If Bartok was Hungary's answer to Moussorgsky, nowhere i! s it more evident than here. Capturing the essentially trochaic inflections of Hungarian speech with the knowing temperament of a native (Ms de Toth is full blood Hungarian) she lays out the keyboard songs with the patrician air of an old storyteller at a family gathering. Whatever one's ideas and taste may be in interpretation of Bartok, her performances are persuasive. Take particular note of her attractive readings of the 14 Bagatelles: these she portrays with a kind of arid simplicity that enhances their now playful, now lonely ethos. This set would make an ideal introduction to Bartok's piano music, especially if you are still unfamiliar with the bulk of it. These are urbane, honest, eminently intelligible interpretations that will draw the uninitiated into the texts of this extraordinarily rich music.

Le Guide Du Concert et du Disque
Paris: "She gave a clear vision of the eternity of the great Gods of music: Bartok, Chopin, Liszt, Debussy, and Ravel.. June De Toth possesses a marvelous technique. She made a clear distinction between the styles of Beethoven and Bartk.''

Album Description
This set (this is the first out of seven CDs), would make an ideal introduction to Bartok's piano music, especially if you are still unfamiliar with the bulk of it. These are urbane, honest, eminently intelligible interpretations that will draw the uninitiated into the texts of this extraordinarily rich music. In her exhaustive survey of his complete piano works June de Toth proves herself a smart, solid, and reliable pianist. She offers thoughtful and often eloquent readings that reject both hysteria and the kind of kamikaze approach of so many young piano lions. Its overall sobriety and discipline is such that the music speaks for itself. She fathoms each solo piano work as a kind of apposite gestuary of hemiolas and unnerving hesitations, and as the stuff of musical speech. If Bartok was Hungary's answer to Moussorgsky, nowhere is it more evident than here. Capturing the essentially trochaic inflections of Hungarian speech with the knowing temperament of a native (Ms de Toth is full blood Hungarian) she lays out the keyboard songs with the patrician air of an old storyteller at a family gathering. Whatever one's ideas and taste may be in interpretation of Bartok, her performances are persuasive. Take particular note of her attractive readings of the 14 Bagatelles: these she portrays with a kind of arid simplicity that enhances their now playful, now lonely ethos.

Bartok Solo Piano Works Volume 1

Tracks:

Six Roumanian Folk Dances: Dance With Sticks
Six Roumanian Folk Dances: Waistband Dance
Six Roumanian Folk Dances: Stamping Dance
Six Roumanian Folk Dances: Hornpipe Dance
Six Roumanian Folk Dances: Roumanie Polka
Six Roumanian Folk Dances: Quick Dance
Ten Easy Pno Pieces: No.1, Peasant Song
Ten Easy Pno Pieces: No.2, Painful Struggle
Ten Easy Pno Pieces: No.3, Slovack Young Men's Dance
Ten Easy Pno Pieces: No.4, Sostenuto
Ten Easy Pno Pieces: No.5, Evening In Transylvania
Ten Easy Pno Pieces: No.6, Hungarian Folk Song
Ten Easy Pno Pieces: No.7, Dawn
Ten Easy Pno Pieces: No.8, Folk Song
Ten Easy Pno Pieces: No.9, Finger Study
Ten Easy Pno Pieces: No.10, Bear Dance
Fourteen Bagatelles, Op.6: No.1 'Molto Sostenuto
Fourteen Bagatelles, Op.6: No.2 'Allegro Giocoso'
Fourteen Bagatelles, Op.6: No.3 'Andante'
Fourteen Bagatelles, Op.6: No.4 'Grave'
Fourteen Bagatelles, Op.6: No.5 'Vivo'
Fourteen Bagatelles, Op.6: No.6 'Lento'
Fourteen Bagatelles, Op.6: No.7 'Allegretto Molto Capriccioso
Fourteen Bagatelles, Op.6: No.8 'Andante Sostenuto'
Fourteen Bagatelles, Op.6: No.9 'Allegretto Grazioso'
Fourteen Bagatelles, Op.6: No.10 'Allegro'
Fourteen Bagatelles, Op.6: No.11 'Allegretto Molto Rubato'
Fourteen Bagatelles, Op.6: No.12 'Rubato'
Fourteen Bagatelles, Op.6: No.13 'Lento Funebre'
Fourteen Bagatelles, Op6: No.14 'Waltz'
Three Rondos On Folk Tunes: No.1 'Andante'
Three Rondos On Folk Tunes: No.2 'Vivacissmo'
Three Rondos On Folk Tunes: No.3 'Allegro Molto'
Son: I. Bagpipe
Son: II. Bear Dance (A Boys Dance)
Son III. Finale (Solstice)
Roumanian Dance No.1, Op.8a

Album Description

This set (this is the third out of seven CDs), would make an ideal introduction to Bartok's piano music, especially if you are still unfamiliar with the bulk of it. These are urbane, honest, eminently intelligible interpretations that will draw the uninitiated into the texts of this extraordinarily rich music. In her exhaustive survey of his complete piano works June de Toth proves herself a smart, solid, and reliable pianist. She offers thoughtful and often eloquent readings that reject both hysteria and the kind of kamikaze approach of so many young piano lions. Its overall sobriety and discipline is such that the music speaks for itself In the wistful 'Street of Istvand', for example, or in the rugged yet oddly seductive sailor song 'In the Harbor of Nagyvarad', her no-nonsense surefootedness gives ample voice to Bartok's nostalgic melancholia. Indeed, in these works, part of the 42 Hungarian Folk Songs for Children, she fathoms each as a kind of apposite gestuary of hemiolas and unnerving hesitations, and as the stuff of musical speech. If Bartok was Hungary's answer to Moussorgsky, nowhere is it more evident than here. Capturing the essentially trochaic inflections of Hungarian speech with the knowing temperament of a native (Ms de Toth is full blood Hungarian) she lays out the keyboard songs with the patrician air of an old storyteller at a family gathering. Whatever one's ideas and taste may be in interpretation of Bartok, her performances are persuasive. Take particular note of her attractive readings of the 14 Bagatelles: these she portrays with a kind of arid simplicity that enhances their now playful, now lonely ethos.

Average customer rating:

This CD is an ideal introduction to Bartok's piano music.

Bartok Solo Piano Works Volume 1

Manufacturer: Eroica Classical Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000FDGM
Release Date: 1999-12-15

Tracks:

Seven Sketches: Portrait of a Girl
Seven Sketches: See Saw, Dickory Daw
Seven Sketches: Lento
Seven Sketches: Non troppo lento
Seven Sketches: Roumanian Folk Melody
Seven Sketches: In Walachian Style
Seven Sketches: Poco lento
Sonata 1926: Allegro moderato
Sonata 1926: Sostenuto e peasante
Sonata 1926: Allegro molto
Fifteen Hungarian Peasant Songs and Dances: Four Old Tunes
Fifteen Hungarian Peasant Songs and Dances: Scherzo
Fifteen Hungarian Peasant Songs and Dances: Ballad
Fifteen Hungarian Peasant Songs and Dances: Nine Old Dance Tunes
Four Dirges: Adagio
Four Dirges: Andante
Four Dirges: Poco lento
Four Dirges: Assai andante
Allegro Barbaro

Album Description

This set (this is the first out of seven CDs), would make an ideal introduction to Bartok's piano music, especially if you are still unfamiliar with the bulk of it. These are urbane, honest, eminently intelligible interpretations that will draw the uninitiated into the texts of this extraordinarily rich music. In her exhaustive survey of his complete piano works June de Toth proves herself a smart, solid, and reliable pianist. She offers thoughtful and often eloquent readings that reject both hysteria and the kind of kamikaze approach of so many young piano lions. Its overall sobriety and discipline is such that the music speaks for itself. She fathoms each solo piano work as a kind of apposite gestuary of hemiolas and unnerving hesitations, and as the stuff of musical speech. If Bartok was Hungary's answer to Moussorgsky, nowhere is it more evident than here. Capturing the essentially trochaic inflections of Hungarian speech with the knowing temperament of a native (Ms de Toth is full blood Hungarian) she lays out the keyboard songs with the patrician air of an old storyteller at a family gathering. Whatever one's ideas and taste may be in interpretation of Bartok, her performances are persuasive. Take particular note of her attractive readings of the 14 Bagatelles: these she portrays with a kind of arid simplicity that enhances their now playful, now lonely ethos.

Customer Reviews:

This CD is an ideal introduction to Bartok's piano music........1999-04-11

Review from AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE March/April 1999

This set (Bartok's Solo Piano Works, Volumes 1, 2 and 3) would make an ideal introduction to Bartok's piano music.

The music speaks for itself, as if Ms de Toth were loathe to run any interference. In the wistful 'Street of Istvand', for example, or in the rugged yet oddly seductive sailor song 'In the Harbor of Nagyvarad', her no-nonsense surefootedness gives ample voice to Bartok's nostalgic melancholia.

Indeed, in these works, part of the 42 Hungarian Folk Songs for Children, she fathoms each as a kind of apposite gestuary of hemiolas and unnerving hesitations, and as the stuff of musical speech.

Capturing the essentially trochaic inflections of Hungarian speech with the knowing temperament of a native (Ms de Toth is full blood Hungarian), she lays out the keyboard songs with the patrician air of an old storyteller at a family gathering.

Take particular note of her attractive readings of the 14 Bagatelles: these she portrays with a kind of arid simplicity that enhances their now playful, now lonely ethos.

Tracks:

Ste, Op 14: Allegretto
Ste, Op 14: Scherzo
Ste, Op 14: Allegro Molto
Ste, Op 14: Sostenuto
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 1. Allegro 'Let's Bake Something'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 2. Andante 'Dawn, O Day'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 3. Andante 'I Lost My Young Couple'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 4. Allegro 'I Lost My Handkerchief'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 5. Poco Allegretto 'Kitty Kitty'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 6. Allegro 'Hey, Tulip, Tulip'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 7. Andante 'Look For The Needle'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 8. Allegretto , Turos '(Girl's Game)'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 9. Molto Adagio 'White Lily'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 10. Allegro Molto, 'Walachian Game'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 11. Molto Sustenuto 'I Lost My Young Couple'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 12. Allegro 'Chain, Chain'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 13. Andante 'A Lad Was Killed'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 14. Allegretto 'The Poor Lads Of Csanad'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 15. Allegro 'The Street Of Istvand'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 16. Andante Rubato 'I Never Stole In My Whole Life'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 17. Adagio 'My Little Graceful Girl'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 18. Andante Non Molto 'In The Of Harbor Of Nagyvarad'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 19. Allegretto 'The Inn At Doboz'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 20. Poco Allegro 'Drinking Song'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 21. Allegro Robusto 'Parsley And Celery'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 22. Allegretto 'Go To Debrecen'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 23. Allegro Grazioso 'Walk This Way, That Way'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 24. Andante Sostenuto 'Water, Water, Water'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 25. Allegro 'Three Apples Plus A Half'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 26. Andante 'Go 'Round Sweetheart, Go 'Round'
"June De Toth" "For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 27. Allegremente 'My Sheep Are Lost'"
"June De Toth" "For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 28. Parlando 'Laszlo Feher Stole A Horse'"
or Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 29. Allegro 'Oh! Hey! What Do You Say'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 30. Andante 'They Brought Up The Rooster'
"June De Toth" "For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 31. Allegro Scherzando 'Mother, Dear Mother'"
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 32. Allegro Ironico 'The Sun Shines Into The Church'
"June De Toth" "For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 33. Andante Sostenuto 'Stars, Stars, Brightly Shine'"
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 34. Andante White Lady's Eardrop'
"June De Toth" "For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 35. Allegro Non Troppo 'I Picked Flowers In The Garden'"
"June De Toth" "For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 36. Allegretto 'Margitta Is Not Far Away'"
"June De Toth" "For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 37. Poco Vivace 'When I Go Up Buda's Big Mountain'"
"June De Toth" "For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 38. Vivace 'Ten Liters Are Inside Me'"
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 39. Allegro 'The Cricket Marries'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 40. Molto Vivace 'May The Lord Give'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 41. Allegro Moderato 'Do You Go, Darling?'
For Children '42 Hungarian Folk Songs': 42. Allegro Vivace 'Swineherd Dance'
Three Burlesques, Op. 8c: Quarrel
Three Burlesques, Op. 8c: A Bit Tipsy
Three Burlesques, Op. 8c: Capriccioso

Album Description

This set (this is the second out of seven CDs), would make an ideal introduction to Bartok's piano music, especially if you are still unfamiliar with the bulk of it. These are urbane, honest, eminently intelligible interpretations that will draw the uninitiated into the texts of this extraordinarily rich music. In her exhaustive survey of his complete piano works June de Toth proves herself a smart, solid, and reliable pianist. She offers thoughtful and often eloquent readings that reject both hysteria and the kind of kamikaze approach of so many young piano lions. Its overall sobriety and discipline is such that the music speaks for itself In the wistful 'Street of Istvand', for example, or in the rugged yet oddly seductive sailor song 'In the Harbor of Nagyvarad', her no-nonsense surefootedness gives ample voice to Bartok's nostalgic melancholia. Indeed, in these works, part of the 42 Hungarian Folk Songs for Children, she fathoms each as a kind of apposite gestuary of hemiolas and unnerving hesitations, and as the stuff of musical speech. If Bartok was Hungary's answer to Moussorgsky, nowhere is it more evident than here. Capturing the essentially trochaic inflections of Hungarian speech with the knowing temperament of a native (Ms de Toth is full blood Hungarian) she lays out the keyboard songs with the patrician air of an old storyteller at a family gathering. Whatever one's ideas and taste may be in interpretation of Bartok, her performances are persuasive. Take particular note of her attractive readings of the 14 Bagatelles: these she portrays with a kind of arid simplicity that enhances their now playful, now lonely ethos.

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

Shimmer

The Cloister and the Sparrow Hawk: Songs of the Monk of Montaudon (Twelfth Century) - Tim Rayborn & Shira Kammen

True Stories

Painters in Paris. Le Cafe Concert

Pops in Japan [Import]

Turning Point [Import]

'Til Morning/A Sinner I Am [Import]

Vezzani: Prima Voce

This Empty Space

Topsy: This One's for Basie

Warehouse: Songs and Stories

Tiempo Nuevo

The New Era

Fly Like an Eagle: 30th Anniversary