Bartok: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta

1. Music for Strings, Percussion, & Celesta, Sz. 106, BB 114
Composed by Bela Bartok
with Roger Smalley , Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields , Osian Ellis , James Holland , Leslie Pearson , Eric Pritchard
Conducted by Neville Marriner

2. Divertimento, for string orchestra, Sz. 113, BB 118
Composed by Bela Bartok
with Roger Smalley , Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields , Osian Ellis , James Holland , Leslie Pearson , Eric Pritchard
Conducted by Neville Marriner

3. Piano Concerto No. 1, for piano, trumpet & strings, in C minor, Op. 35
Composed by Dmitry Shostakovich
with John Ogdon , Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields , John Wilbraham
Conducted by Neville Marriner

Bartok: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta,Bela Bartok,Dmitry Shostakovich,Neville Marriner,Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields,Osian Ellis,James Holland,John Ogdon,Roger Smalley,John Wilbraham,Polygram Records,20th/21st Century Occasional Music,20th/21st Century Orchestral Music,Classical,Classical Music,Concerto,Orchestral,Piano Concerto

Average customer rating: 5 stars if it weren't for Solti Essential Recordings Only Boulez/Chicago gets 5 Stars Reiner Is Great In The Music Of Bela Bartok, RCA Deserves Praise For The Sound Too much hissing

Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra; Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta; Hungarian Sketches Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Bartók, Béla | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music $7.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Bartók, Béla | ( B ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Instrumental | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Stravinsky: Rite Of Spring, Fireworks, Petrouchka / Ozawa, Tilson Thomas, Chicago Symphony Shostakovich: Symphonies no 5 and 9 / Haitink Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition Dvorák: Cello Concerto; Tchaikovsky / Karajan, Rostropovich, Haydn: The London Symphonies, Vol. 1 ASIN: B000003FEJ Release Date: 1993-08-10

Tracks:

1. Concerto For Orchestra: Introduzione: Andante non troppo; Allegra vivace
2. Concerto For Orchestra: Giuoco delle coppie: Allegretto scherzando
3. Concerto For Orchestra: Elegia: Andante non troppo
4. Concerto For Orchestra: Intermezzo interrotto: Allegretto
5. Concerto For Orchestra: Finale: Pesante; Presto
6. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celesta: Andante tranquillo
7. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celesta: Allegro
8. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celesta: Adagio
9. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celesta: Allegro molto
10. Hungarian Sketches: An Evening In The Village
11. Hungarian Sketches: Bear Dance
12. Hungarian Sketches: Melody
13. Hungarian Sketches: Slighty Tipsy
14. Hungarian Sketches: Swineherd's Dance

Amazon.com essential recording

Since its release on LP in the mid-1950s, Fritz Reiner's rendition of the Concerto for Orchestra has stood as the standard against which all other recordings of the work are measured. Even after all these years, the recording remains just as convincing and authoritative. Reiner's superb control of his orchestra and of Bartók's rhythms and textures is still unsurpassed, even by dozens of subsequent conductors in the digital age. Likewise, the Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta shows just what an incredible ensemble the Chicago Symphony was under Reiner's direction. This umpteenth reissue, in RCA's Living Stereo series, promises to be the one to have, its sonics noticeably improved over the earlier CD release in 1989. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

5 stars if it weren't for Solti.......2007-06-06

First of all let me say that if you are unfamiliar with Concerto for Orchestra you will not be dissapointed with this recording. The interpretation is lively and dynamic with the understanding and pathos that is needed for a well rounded interpretation. The only reason I give it 4 stars is because I am familiar with the recording of the Chicago Symphony under Solti. The Solti recording of the next generation Chicago Symphony has the same dynamism and drama but has much greater nuance. Solti simply makes music come to life in certain phrases that is seemingly overlooked by Reiner. However this recording is usually available at cheaper prices (especially used).

Essential Recordings.......2007-03-27

Fritz Reiner was the driving force behind Bela Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra. Reiner and Bartok had been friends for over 40 years having met as piano students at the Budapest Academy. The composer had been in the United States since 1940 and the separation from his beloved Hungary combined with his ill health made the transition unhappy and he had no will to compose. Agatha Fassett's book Bela Bartok: The American Years recounts the composer's life during this time and, since Ms. Fassett knew Bartok's wife, her portrait of the composer is first hand. Maestro Reiner convinced Serge Koussevitsky in 1943 to commission the work and conducted the premiere in December of that year. The Concerto for Orchestra became Bartok's most popular work.

This recording with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra was made in 1955 and I do not think that a finer one has been recorded. The details of Bartok's score come through and the balance is perfect, allowing us a true live performance and the quality of the recording really comes through during quieter moments. Reiner's intimate knowledge of the score and his control are apparent in this recording. This is also true for the recording of Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta and Hungarian Sketches from 1958. Both works are beautifully played with great precision that lacks nothing for the feel of the music. The Hungarian Sketches are marvelously stylish, bringing out the nature of the music.

These recordings are essential and have certainly lost nothing since they were made in the 1950's. Rather than have any distortions the transfer to CD has been carried out with great success so the original sound is even better.

Only Boulez/Chicago gets 5 Stars.......2006-09-17

Sorry Reiner fans.
3 things I do not like about this recording that keeps it at a 4 star level.
First i do not like "iron rod" style conducting. Musicality is thrown out to justify percision and disipline. I do not like Reiner's style
Secondly is the record quality is poor, especially compared to Boulez/DG
Third is the screechy instruments tonality in some of Reiner's band winds.
For Bartok I look to Boulez/Chicaho, Skrowaczewski/Minnesota and Dorati/Detroit. Ivan Fischer has also done some nice recordings on Philips, but NOT his CfO, which is a dud. I also have issues with Boulez's CfO with the New York.

Reiner Is Great In The Music Of Bela Bartok, RCA Deserves Praise For The Sound.......2006-09-09

Just a mention that this is a review of the RCA 'Living Stereo' release, not the later SACD compatible version. RCA was famous for it's ground-breaking work in the mid-to-late fifties when it came to vivid, immersive stereo sound and it's reputation lives to this day. I'm not sure if the reviewer below is experienced in vintage classical recordings predating the digital era. Yes, they contain some tape hiss but it's really insignificant to what value the performances themselves have and the soundstage is very vibrant. I have personally listened to recordings from Solti on DECCA, Jansons on EMI and Fischer on Philips in these fine works by Bartok and none have come close to the passionate intensity of the interpretations or the wonderful recorded sound that these Reiner versions capture.

Reiner's account of the Concerto for Orchestra, one of the most famous 20th-century orchestral works, is on everyone's list as truly exceptional. The Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta receives just the kind of wicked, eerie, powerhouse performance that will make you a fan of Bartok for life and this piece in particular.

If you're going to own one Bela Bartok CD, this is one of the best choices on the market today. After you've ingrained this music into your mind, time for the Miraculous Mandarin, the Piano Concertos and the String Quartets to follow.

Too much hissing.......2006-08-24

After reading so many positive reviews, I was very exited when I recieved this cd in the mail. I popped it in my bose wave radio, turned it up to 85, and listened to the most annoying hissing sound I've ever heard coming from my system. I regret purchasing this cd.

Average customer rating: Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material! Beginner or Expert Very Informative and Enjoyable Frank's view Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra

Instruments of the Orchestra Various Artists Manufacturer: Naxos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra | ( H ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra | ( M ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music National Philharmonic Orchestra London | ( N ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Instructional | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Blowout Box Sets | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 20% Off | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra | ( H ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra | ( M ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music National Philharmonic Orchestra London | ( N ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Instrumental | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Similar Items: Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Op34; Simple Symphony Op4 What to Listen for in Music Study of Orchestration, Third Edition The Life and Works of Ludwig van Beethoven The Life and Works of Frédéric Chopin ASIN: B00006O0NT Release Date: 2002-12-03

Tracks:

1. Overture To 'Tannhauser'
2. Domna, Pos Vos Ay Chausida
3. We Don't Merely Use Instruments, We Play On Them. And They Play On Us.
4. Hungarian Dance No.7
5. The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
6. Violin Concerto In D Major (Adagio)
7. But For A Long Time It Was Seen As The Instrument Of The Devil.
8. The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March Of The Devil
9. The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
10. Csardas Music
11. The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
12. The Four Seasons (Spring, Mvt 1)
13. Birds Are Again Evoked In The Second Concerto, Especially Music's Natural Favourite.
14. The Four Seasons (Summer, Mvt 1)
15. Like The Devil, The Violin Is A Master Of Disguise.
16. Old Viennese Dance No.3 'Schon Rosmarin'
17. The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
18. Tzigane
19. Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
20. Caprice No.24
21. The Many Effects Of The String Tremolando: Brandenburg Concerto No.4 (Last Mvt)/From Joy To Fright/Quartettsatz In C Minor/The String Tremolo Practically Spells The World Agitato.
22. Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
23. Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
24. Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
25. Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
26. The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
27. The Violin Muted
28. Clair De Lune
29. The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
30. Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
31. The Pizzicato Violin
32. Pizzicato Polka
33. In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, The Accompaniment Is Pizzicato.
34. Violin Concerto No.2 In G Minor (Slow Mvt)
35. Varieties Of Pizzicato: Colas Breugnon (The People's Feast)/Now A Drier, Leaner, Hungrier Pizzicato. There's Not A Lot Of Comfort Here./Capriol Suite (Tordion)/The Use Of Pizzicato As 'Percussion'/Romeo And Juliet (Act I)/Mahler Used Pizzicato...
36. The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
37. The Technique Of Double-Stopping Enables The Violin To Play Duets With Itself./Sonata No.3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Violin (Fugue)/Now A Later Example Of The Same Technique
38. Hungarian Dance No.4
39. Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
40. The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
41. Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
42. Bolero
43. Double-Stopping Can Only Approximate The Sound Of A Real Violin Duet.
44. Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
45. Now Compare That With A Real Violin Duet.
46. Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
47. Another Duo By Bartok, Demonstrating The Violin's Rich Lower Register
48. Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
49. And Now What May Be The Most Beautiful Accompanied Violin Duet In History
50. Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
51. The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
52. Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
53. The Use Of Harmonies In The Orchestra Can Be Both Magical And Unsettling.
54. Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 1, Opening)
55. Tchaikovsky's Use Of Harmonics In The Sleeping Beauty Is Both Strange And Darling.
56. The Sleeping Beauty (Act II, No.15: Entr'Acte)
57. Ravel's Harmonics In Mother Goose Effect A Magical Transformation.
58. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
59. Stravinsky's Harmonics In The Firebird Transport Us Almost Into Another World./The Firebird (Introduction)
60. The Natural Upper Notes Of The Violins Have A Unique Emotional 'Grab'.
61. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Of The Afterworldsmen)
62. Still In Their Upper Register, The Violins Unleash The Energy Of A Young Colt.
63. Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
64. Elsewhere, Britten Uses The Same High Register To Create A Very Different Mood.
65. Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
66. To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
67. Elfenreigen

Tracks:

1. Introduction To The Viola
2. Viola Concerto (Mvt 1)
3. Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
4. Gayane Suite No.1 (Armen's Solo)
5. Very Nearly The Whole Of The Violin's Upper Register Is Also Available To The Viola.
6. Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'
7. The Viola Can Bring A Special, Rich Twanginess To Pizzicato That The Violins Lack./Don Quixote/Berlioz Drew Sounds From It That Retain Their Metallic Strangeness Even Today.
8. Harold In Italy (Mvt 4)
9. The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
10. Cypresses (No.9)
11. The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
12. Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
13. The 'Period' Viola In Bach
14. Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
15. The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
16. Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
17. Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
18. Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
19. Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
20. Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
21. In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
22. Symphony No.3 'Eroica' (Finale)
23. But The Cello Is Not Condemned To Spend Its Life In The Basement.
24. Elfentanz, Op.39
25. Not Only In Recital Showpieces Like That Is The Cello Is Used In Its Highest Register.
26. The Protecting Veil (Opening)
27. A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
28. Flamenco
29. Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
30. Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
31. It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
32. Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
33. It Was To The Cellos That Beethoven Gave Two Of His Most Famous Themes./Symphony No.5 (Mvt 2)/Still More Famous Than That Theme Is This One From The Ninth Symphony.
34. Symphony No.9 (Finale)
35. Introduction To The Double-Bass
36. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Elephant)
37. But The Double-Bass Can Be Intensely Expressive And Graceful.
38. Elegy No.1 In D Major
39. The Range Of The Double-Bass Is The Greatest Of All The String Instruments/Allegro Di Concerto, 'Alla Mendelssohn'/And It's Also Capable Of Very Considerable Virtuosity.
40. Capriccio Di Bravura
41. Double-Bass Solos In Orchestral Scores Are Rare But Often Memorable./Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 3)/In His Third Symphony Mahler Makes A Very Different Use Of The Instrument./Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1)
42. The Double-Bass Muted In Prokofiev/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Kije's Wedding)/In Another Work Prokofiev Uses The Double-Bass To Enhance The Winds./Romeo And Juliet (Act III)/And He Combines The Bass Clarinet With A Shivering Tremolo From The Double-Basses....
43. Symphony No.5 (Mvt 3)/So Much For The Strings/On Now To The Winds

Tracks:

1. The Antiquity And Magic Of The Flute
2. Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune
3. The Versatility And Agility Of The Flute
4. Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor (Badinerie)
5. The Flute In Fifteenth-Century Spain
6. Sa'Dawi
7. Other Flutes: The Bass And Alto
8. Chamber Music No.II
9. The Piccolo - Aptly Named
10. La Naissance D'Osiris (Mvt 6)
11. From A Piccolo Of The Eighteenth Century To One Of Its Descendants In The Twentieth
12. Suite No.1 For Small Orchestra (Valse)
13. A Variety Of Techniques
14. Chamber Music No.II
15. Flutter-Tonguing. But Tchaikovsky Got There Eighty Years Before.
16. The Nutcracker (Act II, No.2: Scene)
17. From The Transverse To The Vertical: The Baroque Recorder
18. Recorded Suite In A Minor (Menuet II)
19. An Unfamiliar, Early Vision Of The Instrument
20. Naelden, Naelden
21. The Bachian Oboe
22. Cantata 'Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott', BWV 80 (No.7: Duetto)
23. Introduction To The Cor Anglais Or 'English Born'
24. Symphony No.9 'From The New World' (Mvt 2)
25. The Loneliness Of The Cor Anglais
26. The Swan Of Tuonela
27. The Cor Anglais Joins The French Horn In Haydn.
28. Symphony No.22 'The Philosopher' (Opening)
29. Introduction To The Oboe D'Amore, Beloved Of Bach - But Also Of Ravel
30. Bolero
31. The Clarinet Family: Boxing The Compass, From The Depths Of The Bass Clarinet.../The Egyptian (Violence)/...To The Raucous And Squealy.../Taras Bulba (The Death Of Ostap)/...To The Shrill And Complaining...
32. Petrushka (No.8: Peasant With Bear)/...To The High Sprits Of A Playful Puppy./Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)/And To The Downright Jazzy/Romeo And Juliet (Act II)
33. As The High Clarinets Tend To Be Loud, So The Bass Tends To Be Soft:
34. Gayane Suite No. 1 (Mvt 5)
35. The Bass Clarinet Is Used By Most Composers Mainly As A Colouring Agent.../Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/...But It Does Occasionally Get A Whole Tune To Itself./Iberia (Almeria).
36. The Range Of The Normal Clarinet Parts Goes Quite High...
37. The Snow Maiden (Scene 5: Melodrama)
38. ...And Quite Low.
39. Peter And The Wolf (The Cat)
40. The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
41. Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
42. But That's Not The Instrument Mozart Wrote It For; This Is:
43. Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
44. Introduction To The Saxophone
45. Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 4)
46. The Soprano Saxophone Has Quite A Different Feel To It.
47. L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
48. The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
49. Bolero
50. The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
51. Pictures At An Exhibition (The Old Castle)
52. The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
53. Sax-O-Phun
54. The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
55. Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
56. The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
57. Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
58. Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
59. And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
60. Bolero
61. The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
62. Symphony No.3 (Opening)
63. The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
64. The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
65. Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
66. The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
67. The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
68. Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
69. The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
70. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
71. The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
72. Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
73. Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
74. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
75. The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
76. Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)

Tracks:

1. The Trumpet As Virtuoso Soloist
2. Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Last Mvt)
3. The Special Brillance Of Paired Trumpets
4. Concerto In C For Two Trumpets, RV537 (Mvt 1)
5. The Ceremonial Trumpet
6. Fanfare For The Common Man
7. Trumpets And Drums - An Incomparable Alliance
8. Messiah (The Trumpet Shall Sound)
9. The Versatility Of The Trumpet, From The Most Public To The Most Lonely
10. Piano Concerto In F (Slow Mvt)
11. The Trumpet As The Voice Of The City/An American In Paris/The Trumpet As Recruitment Officer/The Soldier's Tale (The March)/The Trumpet As Swaggerer
12. Carmen Suite No.2 (Habanera)
13. The Trumpet As The Voice Of Strength And Courage
14. Carmet Suite No.2 (Toreador's Song)
15. The Trumpet Muted/Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Opening)/The Trumpet As The Voice Of Weariness
16. Billy The Kid
17. The Trumpet As Character Actor
18. Pictures At An Exhibition (No.6)
19. The Trumpet As The Voice Of God
20. Mass In B Minor ('Et Exspecto')
21. The Birth Of The Trombone
22. Aenmerckt Nu Hier
23. The Birth Of The Brass As A Family
24. Canzon 12 In Double Echo
25. The Trombone In The Eighteenth Century
26. Trombone Concerto In B Flat Major (Finale)
27. The Tone Of The Tenor Trombone/Romance For Trombone And Organ/The Memorable Voice Of The Bass Trombone/Requiem (Mvt 2)/But The Bass Trombone Is More Than An Instrumental Bullfrog.
28. Hosannah
29. The Trombones Become Part Of The Orchestra.
30. Symphony No.5 (Finale)
31. The Wagnerian Trombone:/Overture To 'Tannhauser'
32. The Trombone As Caricaturist
33. Pulcinella (No.19: Vivo)
34. The Trombone As Raspberry/Concerto For Orchestra (Intermezzo)
35. The Horn And The Hunt
36. Horn Concerto No.4 In E Flat, K.495 (Finale)
37. The Challenging Horn Of The Baroque
38. Abaris Ou Les Boreades (Menuet)
39. The Scarcity Of First-Rate Players In Handel's Time
40. Walter Music (Minuet 1)
41. The Horn As Magician/The Firebird Suite (1919, Finale)
42. Horns And The Sound Of Nobility
43. Overture To 'Tannhauser' (Opening)
44. The Special Sound Of The Horn In Its Higher Register
45. Mass In B Minor ('Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus')
46. The Trumpet-Like Sound Of Massed Horns
47. Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1, Opening)
48. The Tuba - Unfairly Maligned?
49. Symphony No.6 (Mvt 3)
50. The Tuba Perfectly Cast By Ravel
51. Pictures At An Exhibition (Bydlo)

Tracks:

1. Introduction. And We Begin With A Bang.
2. Fanfare For The Common Man/The Bass Drum On The Battlefields/Wellington's Victory, Op.91 (Opening)
3. At The Opposite Extreme Is The Triangle.
4. Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat (Scherzo)
5. Categories Of Percussion: Tuned And Untuned. The Side Drum
6. Overture To 'La Gazza Ladra' - The Thieving Magpie (Opening)
7. The Side Drum In An Effective But Unexpected Role/Clarinet Concerto (Mvt 1)
8. The Tambourine. One Of The Oldest Instruments In The World
9. Den Hoboecken Dans
10. Even Older Is The Originally Oriental Gong.
11. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
12. No Single Instrument Can Match The Gong In Evoking The Breaking Of Waves./Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'/But Gongs Don't Have To Be Struck To Be Effective.
13. Gymnopedie No.2
14. The Cymbals Are Generally Discovered Early In Life./The Sanguine Fan/And They Do More Than Clash Together Loudly. They Can Be Clashed Together Softly./Studio Example: But They Needn't Be Clashed Together At All/Studio Example: They Can Be Lightly...
15. Other Untuned Percussion Instruments Include The Whip.: Piano Concerto In G Major (Opening)/And Here Are No Fewer Than Twenty, Cracked By Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Act I, Scene 5)
16. More Versatile Than The Whip Are The Wood Blocks.../Studio Example/...Which Crop Up All Over The Place In Twentieth-Century American Music.
17. Rodeo (Hoe-Down)
18. Related To The Wood Blocks, By Sound, Are The Castanets./Jota Aragonesa/But The Castanets Were Also Used By Monteverdi Back In The Seventeenth Century.
19. Scherzi Musicali (Damigella Tutta Belle)
20. A Still Earlier Example From Fifteenth-Century Spain
21. Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire
22. The Birth Of The Bongo
23. Symphonic Dances From 'West Side Story'
24. From The Streets Of New York To The Blacksmith's Shop/Il Trovatore ('Anvil Chorus')
25. Desert-Island Decibels: Grand Canyon Suite (On The Trail)/Arcana
26. From One Vegetable To Another: The Humble Squash, Or Marrow/Huapango
27. Onwards To The Tuned Percussion. First, The Timpani
28. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
29. But The Drum Roll Can Be More Effectively Frightening Than The Big Bang.: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (Mvt 3)
30. Not One Drum Roll, But Many/Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise)/Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)
31. Taking Advantage Of Tunability
32. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Mvt 2)
33. The Russian Composer Rodion Shchedrin Takes A Downward Turn./Carmen Suite (Changing Of The Guard)/Tuned, Yes; But For The Truly Melodic We Must Look Elsewhere.
34. Introducing The Glockenspiel/Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
35. Saint-Saens And The Xylophone
36. The Carnival Of The Animals (Fossils)
37. Ravel And The Xylophone
38. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
39. Introducing The Marimba/Carmen Suite (First Intermezzo)
40. Introducing The Vibraphone
41. The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Narange Dolce)
42. The Vibraphone Goes Russian.../Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)/...And Is Joined By The Marimba./Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
43. Introducing The Hungarian Cimbalom
44. Folk Dances
45. The Cimbalom And The Symphony Orchestra
46. Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 3)
47. Introducing The Tubular Bells
48. Hary Janos Suite (Viennese Musical Clock)
49. A More 'Up-Front' Approach From Rodion Shchedrin
50. Carmen Suite (Introduction)
51. But The Bells Can Also Make The Sinister Even More Sinister./Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
52. Introducing The Celeste
53. The Nutcracker (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy)
54. Magic, In The Use Of Collective Percussion
55. Miroirs (La Vallee Des Cloches)
56. Plucked Instruments: The 'Undercover Percussion'/Carmen Suite (Scene)
57. A Prime Case In Point Is The Harp, Irresistible To The Romantics./The Nutcracker (Act II, No.1: Scene)/The Non-Solo Harp As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Hungarian Rhapsody No.1
58. The Traditionally Subservient Role Of The Harpsichord In The Baroque Orchestra
59. Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Slow Mvt)
60. The Piano: King Of The Tuned Percussion/Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Mvt 3)/And A Quarter Of A Century After That:
61. Petrushka (Russian Dance)
62. The Anti-Romantic Piano As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra
63. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Last Mvt)

Tracks:

1. Keyboard Instruments In The Orchestra - The Most Powerful Of Them All:
2. Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Finale)
3. But Things In Handel's Day Were Very Different.
4. Organ Concerto In B Flat, Op.4 No.3 (Last Mvt)
5. The Organ Is Difficult To Classify.
6. An Unexpected, Organ-related Guest
7. Concerto Pour Zampogna (Last Mvt)
8. Peasant-Fancying... And A Touch Of The Roaming Cowboy
9. Les Miserables (Drink With Me)
10. Outside Artefacts And The Power Of Association
11. Mahler's Sleighbells
12. Symphony No.4 (Opening)
13. A Roll-Call Of Some Unusual Guests/The Typewriter/Parade
14. Chains, And More/Integrales/An American In Paris/Sandpaper Ballet
15. Purpose-Built Oddities: Wind Machines/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Opening)
16. Don Quixote (Variation VIII)
17. National Calling Cards: The Guitar For Spain/Concierto De Aranjuez (Finale)
18. And The Guitar's Poor American Relative, The Banjo/Washington Breakdown
19. And Poorer Still, The Mouth Organ/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Packing Up)
20. The Balalaika For Russia/Romeo And Juliet (Act II: No.14)
21. The Maracas For Mexico/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (El Desayuno)
22. The Bongos And Congas And A Whole Wealth Of Other Drums For Africa And Central America/Studio Example
23. The Sitar Of India/Evening Raga: Bhapoli
24. The Accordion For France (Especially Paris)/Paris Canaille
25. The Zither For Vienna/The Third Man (Theme)
26. The Cimbalom For Hungary/Folk Dances
27. The Guitar As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Rondena
28. There Are Whole Orchestras Of Balalaikas./Sveit Mesiats
29. The Effect Of The Wordless Human Voice, Used Purely As An Instrument/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
30. Nocturnes
31. Instruments And the Imitation Of Nature. The Clarinet As Cuckoo
32. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Cuckoo)
33. The Flute As An All-purpose Aviary
34. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aviary)
35. The Oboe As Duck
36. Peter And The Wolf (The Duck)
37. The Recording Of Reality. Does It Work As Well?
38. The Pines Of Rome (The Pines Of The Janiculum)
39. The Recording Of Reality Electronically Reborn In New Guises
40. Cantus Articus - Concerto For Birds And Orchesra (Mvt 2)
41. Beethoven Turns Avian: Cuckoo, Nightingale, And Quail
42. Symphony No.6 'Pastoral' (Andante Molto Mosso)
43. Some Improbable Casting: The Violin As Braying Donkey
44. The Carnival Of The Animals (Persons With Long Ears)
45. A Truly Orchestral Hee-haw To Be Reckoned With
46. Overture To 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
47. A Thunderstorm In A Million
48. Symphony No.6 'Pastoral (Allegro-Allegretto)
49. the Instrumental Depiction Of A Silent World
50. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aquarium)
51. Saint-Saens' Menagerie Takes A Curtain Call.
52. The Carnival Of The Animals (Finale)

Tracks:

1. The Grouping Of Instrumental Families. An Additive Approach. First, Two Violins
2. Forty-Four Duos (No.4)
3. A Great Contrast, Of Both Pitch And Character: Violin And Viola
4. Duo For Violin And Viola In B Flat Major, K.424 (Finale, Vars 1 & 2)/Studio Example
5. Arrival Of The Standard String Trio: Violin, Viola, And Cello
6. String Trio In B Flat (Menuetto)
7. The String Quartet: Two Violins, Viola, And Cello
8. String Quartet In F, Op.18 No.1 (Mvt 3)
9. The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Viola
10. String Quartet No.5 In D, K.593 (Adagio)
11. The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Cello
12. String Quintet In C (Mvt 3)
13. The String Sextet: Two Violins, Two Violas, And Two Cellos
14. String Sextet In B Flat (Mvt 2)
15. The String Octet: The Standard String Quaret Times Two
16. Octet In E Flat, Op.20 (Mvt 1)
17. Double The String Octet: A Fully Fledged String Orchestra
18. String Symphony No.2 (Finale)
19. The Massed Strings Of A Symphony Orchestra
20. Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis
21. Contrasts Of Pitch And Instrumental 'Colour' In The Woodwind Section
22. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Theme)
23. In The First Variation It's The Horn That Gets The Lion's Share.
24. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 1
25. In Variation Two The Torch Is Handed To The Bassoon.
26. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 2
27. In Variation Three The Oboe Leads.
28. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 3
29. Variation Four: Conversation Before Returning To A Solo-dominated Texture
30. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 4
31. And Variation Five is Dominated By The Clarinet.
32. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 5
33. The Next To Be Featured Is The Virtuoso Flute.
34. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 6
35. Individual Farewells And A Closing Chorus
36. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 7
37. A Mixed Group: Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, String Quartet, And Double-Bass
38. Octet In F (Mvt 3)
39. The Early Classical Symphony Orchestra Of Haydn And Mozart
40. Symphony No.29 In A, K.201 (Finale)
41. Strings, Wind, But No Brass. What Haydn And Mozart Never Knew
42. Canzon 28
43. Beethoven's Fifth: Two Horns, Two Trumpets, And Three Trombones Join The Team.
44. Symphony No.5 (Finale)
45. From Beethoven To The Massive Orchestras Of Berlioz, Wagner, And Mahler
46. Beethoven Changed The Face Of The Symphony And The Orchestra Forever
47. Symphoy No.6 'Tragic' (Mvt 1)
48. The Cult Of Orchestral Elephantiasis Reaches Its Peak.
49. Symphony No.1 'Gothic' (VI: Te Ergo Quaesumus)
50. When Large Doesn't Necessarily Mean Loud: Debussy
51. Images (Gigues)
52. A Crisis Of Confidence; The Orchestra's Survival Hangs In The Balance, But It Still Develops. The Ondes Martenot:
53. Turangalila Symphony (Chant D'amour 1)
54. The Advent Of The 'Early Music' Movement Brings A New Vitality And Freshness.
55. Balle De Xerxes (Gavotte En Rondeau)
56. Computer And Synthesiser: Friends Or Foes?
57. Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
58. A Speculative Look Ahead/Mass In B Minor ('Dona Nobis Pacem')

Customer Reviews:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!.......2007-04-04

This set lends itself to greatly enhancing one's knowledge of the orchestra, instruments in it, and their usage. I am a huge music buff, and I still picked up a great deal I previously did not know. I highly recommend this for all who wish to understand the origin of music, as well as the processes that are employed to create music!

Beginner or Expert.......2007-03-12

This CD is excellent for the beginner or expert! To be able to haear the instrumets separately and then together really provides a good education. and/or refresher. The book thaty comes with the CD is alomost worth the price by itself!

Very Informative and Enjoyable.......2006-11-20

Whether you're a music novice or pro, "The instruments of the Orchestra" is a very worthwhile purchase. The 7 CDs, with a total of 8 hours, are expertly narrated by Jeremy Siepmann. He's a great speaker, very much like the late Leonard Bernstein was. Mr. Siepmann takes you on an unforgetable musical journey covering the origins and use of the various orchestral instruments throughout musical history. The balance between his narration and a wealth of musical examples, which range from snippets to entire movements, is superb. The comprehensive enclosed booklet is excellent and faithfully follows the 7 CDs in content. Even with my 40+ years of music training I still learned new things from this wonderful collection. Considering the excellence of the content, and a cost that translates to about $5 per disc, this collection is a great value. Grab it, you won't regret that you did. Five solid stars!

Frank's view.......2006-08-19

This boxed set of CD's with booklet achieved all I had hoped that it would. There are good samples of individual instruments and well done commentary on each. The only drawback was that some of the samples were too brief and could have been longer, hoiwever I guess this fits in with time constraints of the medium. It has given me a lot of clues as to future purchases of CD's for listening to individual instruments. Altogeth a satisfactory purchase and a welcome addition to my collection.

Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra.......2003-11-08

I've listened to classical music for years and am interested in composition. I bought this CD set to learn how an orchestra and its instruments work. I thought the CDs would be a nice but boring lecture. They aren't! Not only are they FUN but they are informative as well. I learned a huge amount from each CD and couldn't wait to listen to the next one.

The narrator and writer is a great speaker and holds your attention well. He is definitely knowledgeable. He provides musical examples for each point he makes, so you get to "hear" what he just talked about. I'd say the CDs are about 65% music and 35% narration. You'll learn about the range of instruments, some history, different ways to play them, how they sound, and how they are used in the orchestra. This CD set was a great learning experience and is sold at such a low price!

I recommend this CD for those who want to learn about classical music and those who know about it but are interested in learning more about the inner workings of an orchestra. You'll learn much useful information. For instance, the Rite of Spring (with that eerie start) is written for bassoon! I never knew a bassoon could sound like that but now I do.

The one complaint I have is the last CD. This deals with the orchestra. I wanted more of a tour of how the orchestra has been used through history up to the present. Instead, it was a tour of how different groups of instruments sound. I thought it could have been better. The other 6 CDs are excellent.

Average customer rating: A composer Bernstein forgot, but plays beautifully here Generally Unconvicing, But a Nice Coupling Bartok and Bernstein Lenny is at his best!

Bartok: Concerto for orchestra Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Bartók, Béla | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Ives: Symphony No. 2 & Symphony No. 3/Bernstein Discusses Charles Ives Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra (Cambridge Music Handbooks) Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 9 Bernstein: Prelude, Fugue and Riffs Bela Bartok - Concerto for Orchestra: The Masterworks Library (Boosey & Hawkes Masterworks Library) ASIN: B00000FCKV Release Date: 1998-11-24

Tracks:

1. Concerto For Orchestra: I. (Introduzione). Andante Non Troppo
2. Concerto For Orchestra: II. (Giuoco Delle Coppie). Allegretto Scherzando
3. Concerto For Orchestra: III. (Elegia). Andante, Non Troppo
4. Concerto For Orchestra: IV. (Intermezzo Interrotto). Allegretto
5. Concerto For Orchestra: V. (Finale). Pesante - Presto
6. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celesta: I. Andante Tranquillo
7. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celesta: II. Allegro
8. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celesta: III. Adagio
9. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celesta: IV. Allegro Molto

Amazon.com

The 1959 Concerto for Orchestra was one of Bernstein's first recordings as music director of the New York Philharmonic. It's still worthy of comparison with the classic 1954 Reiner recording considered standard by most critics. Bernstein gets the orchestra inside the music, expressing the range of Bartók's emotional world from the spookily mysterious opening to the hilarity of the intermezzo to the joyous finale. This performance makes the piece sound less conservative than it sometimes does--a decided plus. The orchestra plays extremely well, with fine work from its legendary first-chair players. Music for Strings, Percussion, and Cello, recorded two years later, is similarly effective. This coupling was previously available in a "Royal Edition," and if you have that, you don't need to replace it. But this latest mastering sounds fine for its age. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

A composer Bernstein forgot, but plays beautifully here.......2005-12-18

It's odd that Bernstein, a champion of tonal modernism, didn't feel closer to Bartok. In his later career, after the mid-Sixties, he recorded nothing of his music. These two rollicking recordings from 1959 (Concerto for Orchestra) and 1961 (Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta) are more heart-on-sleeve than any other I've heard. The often elusive emotions and cool distancing one feels in the Concerto for Orchestra, usually played for shallow virtuosity, here turn into fiery extroversion, wit, and bumptiousness. The piece becomes first cousin to Petrushka. The NY Phil. sounds glorious and committed; the sonics are only limited in the loudest climaxes, when things get a bit screechy. Bartok didn't want to be held close to anyone's bosom, but if you want to anyway, this is the performance for you. (One wonders, by the way, if the young LB was present when his mentor Koussevitzky premiered the work in Boston.)

The MFSP&C is an intricate puzzle piece that benefits from precise, even analytical conducting a la Boulez. Bernstein has no interest in that--the opening hollow tones of the strings in canon are romantically shaped for eerie loneliness. The two fast movement are played with thrilling extroversion, the paino quite close and the percussion flailing away. You'd have to have a heart of stone to resist--although the composer might well have.

Generally Unconvicing, But a Nice Coupling.......2001-12-25

If you don't listen to, and review, serious music for a living, comparing and contrasting tens of versions of each major composition--and how many can do that?--you invariably lock into your favorite recording of any giving piece. This tends to "groove" your ears and musical soul. For almost 50 years, the gold standard for this Concerto has been Reiner and the Chicago, and for listeners of my age--I've had the Reiner for 30 years--we have worn our vinyl RCAs flat in our love for this music. Reiner was Bartok's friend from their student in Budapest and later became the powerful proponent--and authoritative interpreter--of Bartok's work.

One thing jazz musicians who cross over into classical music (Benny Goodman, Wynton Marsalis), or vice versa (Andre Previn), teach us is that, for ANY music, Ellington has the last word: "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing." All great conductors swing. (Listen to how Reiner swings this concerto, or John Barbirolli swings--yes, swings--the Mahler 9th, and your ears will change forever.) Bernstein, who knew jazz idiom intimately, almost intuitively, usually swings with the best. But in this early recording, he mostly plods, with a metronomic mediocrity that defies any expectation.

Bernstein had clearly listened to, and adopted aspects of, Reiner's authoritative version--in passages of the first and fifth movement, tempi and section articulation seem to duplicate Reiner's, note for note. (I have a recollection, which I cannot document, that Reiner played the Concero according to, or very close to, the timings expressly prescribed by the meticulous Bartok.) I recognize that the flaw may be my ears and what they're accustomed to, but for me, with few exceptions, the Bernstein drags throughout and, as such, sounds lackluster and ponderous.

The main exception is in the presto finale, which is played at an absolutely blistering pace and is quite stirring. As I listened, I imagined the bows of the string players beginning to smoke, then bursting into flames, then entire string sections igniting. That hot. These are Bernstein's most impressive moments on this disc--and he also brings the orchestra nicely to a crescendo, always a strongpoint for melodramatic Lenny.

The Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celeste is a packaging bonus, however, which in the era of the CD, has become the standard coupling for the Concerto. The Music for Strings is played, to my mind and ears, to a much higher standard.

In all, however, I would pass on this CD and opt for the Reiner. Even if you're collecting Bartok, many superior recordings (particularly if you do not HAVE to have digital) of this music--including the Antal Dorati and Ferenc Fricsay--remain in the catalogue at a low budget price.

Bartok and Bernstein.......2001-05-22

Bernstein was a great Bartok conductor. The music sizzles and becomes alive with an intensity that grips the listener. These towering monuments of 20th music by one of the greatest composers of the millenium are conducted with a wide range of expression, color, and emotional power by one of the great condutors of the century-- This CD is a must for the serious listener.

Lenny is at his best!.......2000-06-19

This is one of the first recordings Bernstein made as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic. Though he was never able, in my opinion, to get a consistent level in each recording as what say George Szell and his Clevelanders, this recordings is well done. The recorded sound is excellent. The concerto was recorded at the St. George Hotel in Brooklyn. The Strings, Percussion, and Celesta is probably the best recording available today. The playing is very precise, even more than Boulez's recording with the CSO. For anyone who enjoys this music, buy it today!

Average customer rating: tedious... A Peerless Recording dschlvr There and then, here and now The Gold Standard for these Bartók works.

Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra; etc. [Hybrid SACD] Bela Bartok , and Fritz Reiner Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Bartók, Béla | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition, A Night on Bald Mountain, and Other Russian Showpieces [Hybrid SACD] Richard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra; Ein Heldenleben [Hybrid SACD] Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade; Stravinsky: Song of the Nightingale [Hybrid SACD] Ravel: Daphnis et Chloe [Hybrid SACD] Respighi: Pines of Rome; Fountains of Rome; Debussy: La mer [Hybrid SACD] ASIN: B0002TKFQS Release Date: 2004-09-14

Tracks:

1. Introduzione: Andante Non Troppo; Allegro Vivace
2. Giuoco Delle Coppie: Allegretto Scherzando
3. Elegia: Andante Non Troppo
4. Intermezzo Interrotto: Allegretto
5. Finale: Pesante; Presto
6. Andante Tranquillo
7. Allegro
8. Adagio
9. Allegro Molto
10. An Evening In The Village
11. Bear Dance
12. Melody
13. Slightly Tipsy
14. Swineherd's Dance

Customer Reviews:

tedious..........2006-11-10

I just could not comprehend why many music lovers love Bartok--
his music might be intellectual, but to me it's boring!

A Peerless Recording.......2006-04-30

I loved the previous issue of this recording, but this one is even clearer, which is some praise, since the previous issue was a brilliant pressing of a brilliant recording. I never tire of Reiner's performance.

There is no other recording of these pieces that approaches this one - absolutely none (not even Leinsdorf's version). Not only is this Reiner disc the best Bartok recording ever made, but it is one of the best classical recordings ever made... truly a desert island disc.

Only a cretin wouldn't buy this record. ;)

dschlvr.......2005-07-31

What a great step up from the previous release.
There some details that have come out in this recording that I really enjoy.
In many ways, a truly revalatory recording.
A lover of Bartok should not be without it.

There and then, here and now.......2005-06-18

Many years ago I knew someone who had often heard Fritz Reiner conduct the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in concerts (a pleasure I am sorry to say I never experienced). Reiner's conducting style, he said, was at the opposite extreme from the histrionics of (for instance) Leonard Bernstein. On the podium, Reiner exhibited no baton waving, choreographic body language, or ecstatic or pained facial expressions. In fact, said my acquaintance, if you were seated directly behind Reiner you might not see him move at all for long stretches! Such was his rapport with the orchestra that no show-biz gestures were necessary, not to mention foreign to his temperament.

The performances he led of the two major works on this disc suggest what he was able to achieve when he conducted music that suited him. (His recordings of Richard Strauss are in the same category.) Reiner surely had an affinity with Bartok (partly, perhaps, because Reiner too was originally Hungarian).

There are recordings that make you think, "What a superb orchestra!" There are others that elicit accolades for the interpretation or the sound quality. And then there are a very few -- the best -- that make you forget about things like those while you're listening, and if you have any thought it's simply, "What great music this is."

Reiner's Bartok falls into that rarefied category, and I can think of no higher praise.

The Concerto is probably the most popular and most frequently performed 20th century piece of orchestral music. Like anything that is played and recorded often, it can seem to be too much of a good thing. To Reiner and his Chicagoans of the 1950s, it was relatively new music, and the fact that it had not yet become standard repertory may have been one reason they were able to project it so vividly: there was no routine to fall into.

It would be absurd to say that listening to this recording was like hearing the Concerto and the Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta for the first time. Nevertheless, I was more conscious than ever of the strangeness mixed with the beauty, the exoticism coupled with the power.

Technically, the recording is not one marvel but two. First was the original recording team from RCA, who must have been geniuses. Not only did they record these performances in two channels (the Concerto) and three channels (the Music for Strings etc.) before there was any commercially established way of reproducing multiple channels in playback, but they also must have used what was then state-of-the-art mikes and tape recorders.

The second marvel is the SACD remastering, which was clearly done by sound engineers who knew their business and who used only the original channels, not adding synthetic rear channels. The result is that 50 years drop away, and you are there and then. Or, thanks to the realization of Bartok's scores that you are hearing, in some wondrous dreamscape beyond place and time.

What great music this is.

The Gold Standard for these Bartók works........2004-12-30

I suppose I could well have waited a few more days, until the turn of the New Year, to be able to say "Now, 50 years later, Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra as it must have sounded to the engineers in the studio." After all, this "classic of all classics" does date from 1955. (The other two works on the album have recording dates from 1958, and I sure don't plan to wait *that* long for a silver anniversary!) Actually, I have been listening to this hybrid SACD release for at least a few weeks now, but it was only this past weekend that I had my first opportunity to listen directly to the SACD layer; previous hearings were of the "redbook" CD layer only.

So, I'm jumping the gun as regards the 50 year celebration, but for good reason. The newly-mastered DSD sound from the analog master tapes, as heard in the SACD layer, are enough of an improvement over the redbook CD sound to justify my impatience. And the redbook CD layer is already excellent as it is!

At this late date, there is little left to be said about how significant these performances are. By now, anyone interested in these Bartók works probably already knows that Fritz Reiner had two things in his favor in these performances that make them as authoritative as they are: His close personal friendship with the composer, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in one of its most glorious periods, almost without equal (thanks of course to Reiner). Not always apparent (particularly in some of the many earlier releases of this work in less than excellent sound in years past) was the contribution of the RCA engineers in those very early days of stereo. But it all comes together, in sound better than ever thought possible, thanks to DSD (Direct Stream Digital) processing of the original analog master tapes and SACD technology for converting the sound back to analog, giving us the nearest thing to "perfect analog"; the closest possible replica of the original tapes.

The Concerto for Orchestra is, by far, Bartók's best-known and most popular work, immediately accessible in a way that many of his other mature works are not. (His very earliest works, such as "Kossuth" and the "Orchestral Suite No. 1," written largely in the style of Richard Strauss before he began his studies of Hungarian and Rumanian folk music, are also immediately accessible, if hardly of the quality of his mature works.) Reiner, being as close to Bartók as he was, knew this work "inside and out" and committed a performance for the ages in this session. He of course was also aware of the reason why Bartók chose to parodize the "invasion" theme from Shostakovich's 7th Symphony in the fourth movement of the Concerto, and plays this loopy parody, complete with its growling trombone raspberries, for all it is worth. But the work is of course much more than this oft-mentioned parody, and Reiner's interpretation is as good as any, and now - with DSD/SACD technology - fully competitive to versions recorded decades later.

If the Concerto for Orchestra is Bartók's most popular and accessible work, then Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste ("MfSPC") is probably his greatest masterpiece in respect to incorporating his studies and usage of Magyar folk music into "serious" works. Here, Reiner and his Chicagoans are, if anything, even better than in the Concerto. Their execution of the work has a hair-raising "snap" that many other performances fail to achieve, and the sound - three years newer (1958) than the session at which the Concerto had been recorded - is even better.

The final work on the album is his Hungarian Sketches, again exhibiting the results of his musicological studies as incorporated into a unique personal style. It - like the MfSPC - was recorded in 1958 sessions, but, like that work, sounds as if it had been recorded just yesterday. For those coming upon this work for the first time, don't expect to hear ersatz "ethnic" music in the vein of Liszt and, say, Enescu. Not that assimilating the five movements is in any way difficult, but it is really only in the final movement ("Swineherd's Dance") where the music approximates what we generally tend to think of as "Hungarian folk music." But clearly tinged with the unique piquancy that was Bartók.

This is an album that always had been famous for its performances. Now, fifty years after the fact, thanks to DSD/SACD technology, it can also be appreciated for having the sound quality that had been there all the time on the original master tapes, but never quite realized with this level of perfection in its earlier reincarnations.

An essential album if ever there were one!

Bob Zeidler

Average customer rating: ONE OF BARTOK'S MASTERPIECES. Darkly Beautiful Boulez and Bartok, a great combination A Disk For People Who Dislike Music Essential Bartok

Béla Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin / Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta - Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus / Pierre Boulez Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Bartók, Béla | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: 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: Divertimento / Dance Suite / Hungarian Sketches / Two Pictures - Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Pierre Boulez Bartok: The Piano Concertos Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2; Rhapsodies Nos. 1 & 2 ASIN: B000001GR9 Release Date: 1996-04-09

Tracks:

1. The Miraculous Mandarian: 01 Beginning
2. The Miraculous Mandarian: 02 First seduction game: the shabby old rake
3. The Miraculous Mandarian: 03 Second seduction game
4. The Miraculous Mandarian: 04 Third seduction game
5. The Miraculous Mandarian: 05 The Mandarin enters and remains immobile in the doorway
6. The Miraculous Mandarian: 06 The girl sinks down to embrace him
7. The Miraculous Mandarian: 07 The tramps leap out, seize the Mandarin and tear him away from the girl
8. The Miraculous Mandarian: 08 Suddenly the Mandarin's head appears between the pillows and he looks longingly at the girl
9. The Miraculous Mandarian: 09 The terrified tramps discuss how they are to get red of the Mandarin at last
10. The Miraculous Mandarian: 10 The body of the Mandarin begins to glow with a greenish blue light
11. The Miraculous Mandarian: 11 She resists no longer, - they embrace
12. Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta Sz 106: 1 Andante tranquillo
13. Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta Sz 106: 2 Allegro
14. Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta Sz 106: 3 Adagio
15. Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta Sz 106: 4 Allegro molto

Amazon.com essential recording

The Miraculous Mandarin is, along with Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, one of the great expressions of musical savagery, and here the composer illustrates the "urban jungle." The music opens with sounds of traffic and commotion, and it's an expressionist nightmare from that point on. Three men mug a woman and force her to lure men into their den to be robbed in turn. One of them turns out to be a wealthy Chinese man whose passion for the woman is so strong that, despite being stabbed, suffocated, and strung up on a lamp cord, he will not die until the woman permits him to embrace her. Then his wounds open and he bleeds to death. Quite a story, and the music, as well as this performance, suits it perfectly. Have fun. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

ONE OF BARTOK'S MASTERPIECES........2004-05-28

I think I'm kind of an idiot about classical music, so I can only make basic comments here. Music for Percussion, Strings, and Celesta is one of Bartok's greatest works, and as such is one of the greatest works in all of Western music. Despite the ostensible eminence the celesta is given in the title of the piece, the dominant keyboard instrument is piano, which is part of the percussion ensemble that serves as the anchor for two string sections. The piece is an amazing exploration of opposites, especially its use of chromatic and diatonic elements. The first movement is a chromatic fugue for strings, and Bartok's use of changing meters gives it a watery effect. From the first movement you can already tell it is one of Bartok's best compositions, simply because every note is so exceptionally placed and the flow is so natural. The second movement is an exhilarating allegro, a tight mesh of melodic themes manipulated with rhythmic and metric variation. The third movement is intensely chromatic "night music" with obscure tonality and fragmentary melodies. Best of all, the fourth movement, where diatonic considerations come to the fore and it is the most varied in rhythm, melody, and pitch, but still structurally sublime. Throughout the piece, the key subjects are changed into new subjects, which undergo their own changes, and eventually morphing back into previous themes. This is done with such uncanny perfection that the music really feels like it takes you places. I know that sounds cheesy. I won't discuss _The Miraculous Mandarin_, though it is very good as well.

Get this if you want to hear a divine performance of one of the musical universe's greatest treasures. (Sorry for the CAPS above, I know it's annoying.)

Darkly Beautiful.......2003-04-06

In response to one of the reviews posted here, I must disagree with the statement that Boulez's conducting makes these works "cynical, pedantic and profoundly ugly." But then, I've never heard the Leonard Bernstein version of The Miraculous Mandarin, so he may have a point (please note sarcasm).

These pieces are conducted in a very unromantic style that suits these works well in particular, and Bartok's entire output in general. There's nothing conventionally "pretty" at all about these works. But they are both truly beautiful, in a profoundly dark sense. The Miraculous Mandarin depicts the violence and the desperation of the story it is based upon, while the Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta is possibly the greatest orchestral work of the twentieth-century. Vivaldi this is not.

Boulez and Bartok, a great combination.......2002-02-12

No one handle Bartok better in our time like Boulez (Fischer and Salonen runners up).

"Music for strings, percussion and celesta" is one of last centures greatest work and Boulez and Orchestra do this fantastic. The "The miraculous mandarin" is a bonus and also one of Bartoks greatest. Great sound too.

Buy this version and you have a (two) masterpiece (s).

A Disk For People Who Dislike Music.......2001-07-28

Maestro Boulez has a fantastic ear, good technique, and a formidable intellect. He has one slight impediment to conducting: he doesn't care for music very much. Or at least not music that embodies thought and feeling. Music for Strings is one of the most sublime testaments in Western music. The shattering climax of the first movement couldn't make Bartok's meaning plainer. But you'll never learn that from this perverse rendition. Boulez deliberately ignores the forceful accents, smoothing over them because he finds strong accents sentimental and stupid. The result is cynical, pedantic, and profoundly ugly. And the less said of this decidedly less than Miraculous Mandarin, the better. Any recording by a conductor who sympathizes with this music is preferable.

Essential Bartok.......2001-02-05

On this disc are two of Bartok's greatest works. The first, The Miraculous Mandarin, is one of his most violent and suggestive. It is very vivid music, painting a palpably clear orchestral picture of the sex and violence of Lengyel's scenario. This is Bartok at his best; blaring brass, screaming strings, pounding percussion. There are also many moments of extreme delicacy; the clarinet solo of the young woman seducing male passers-by, or the moment when the Mandarin's body begins to glow, heightened by a low, wordless chorus. The vivid orchestral storytelling of Mandarin is offset by one of Bartok's most abstract pieces, Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta. This is another Bartok masterpiece. Pierre Boulez conducts Bartok's music very well, and this is no exception. Due to the great quality of the playing, conducting, recording and the music itself, and the fact that there are so few complete Mandarins on the market, I would suggest you pick this one up as soon as possible.

Average customer rating: Nice mix of 20th century compositions

Bartok/Martinu/Janacek: Orchestral Works Manufacturer: Polygram Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Bartók, Béla | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Janácek, Leos | ( J ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Martinu | Martinu, Bohuslav | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Allen, Thomas | ( A ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Cleveland Orchestra | ( C ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B00000423H Release Date: 1995-04-11

Tracks:

1. Music for strs, perc & celestra: I. Andante tranquillo
2. Music for strs, perc & celestra: II. Allegro
3. Music for strs, perc & celestra: III. Adagio
4. Music for strs, perc & celestra: IV. Allegro molto
5. Con for string qt & Orch: I. Allegro vivo
6. Con for string qt & Orch: II. Adagio
7. Con for string qt & Orch: III. Tempo moderato
8. Capricio for pn & chm ens: I. Allegro
9. Capricio for pn & chm ens: II. Adagio
10. Capricio for pn & chm ens: III. Allegretto
11. Capricio for pn & chm ens: IV. Andante

Customer Reviews:

Nice mix of 20th century compositions.......2001-07-04

These are wonderful recordings. It's my favorite rendition of Bartok's masterful Music for Strings, Percussion & Celeste (oddly described by the liner note writer as "abstract" - I would say intensely melodic...). The Clevelanders perform marvelously, and Dohnanyi's conducting leadership is on-target. It's too bad that he has not recorded more of Bartok's works - and this will probably be "it" considering the scope of Boulez's project with the CSO and the general collapse of the orchestral CD market. London/Decca's engineers capture all of the nuances of the piece with outstanding balance and clarity.

I was not familiar with the Martinu piece, so I can only report that it is an eminently listenable and enjoyable composition. The Janacek "Defiance" concerto is an illuminating "surprise" ending to the CD. I would have trouble playing this with two hands - to think that it is a left hand only piece (written for Otakar Hollmann, who lost his right arm in World War I) is mind-boggling. The performance by pianist Joela Jones and members of the CO is outstanding.

This CD is valuable for the Bartok alone - the Martinu and Janecek recordings make it an outstanding 20th century compilation. You may be able to find a copy used or on one of the auction sites. It's definitely worth a listen if you enjoy 20th century orchestral music.

Average customer rating: priceless individuality Excellent--going his own way works new views on these great works

Béla Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta; Divertimento for String Orchestra Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Bartók, Béla | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Bruckner | Bruckner, Anton | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Franz Joseph Haydn | Haydn, Franz Joseph | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Smetana | Smetana, Bedrich | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Romantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Tone Poems | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Requiems | Forms & Genres | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra | ( V ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music ASIN: B0001GCMP4 Release Date: 2004-04-06

Customer Reviews:

priceless individuality.......2006-07-10

It is worth rushing out to buy this CD simply for the recording of the DIVERTIMENTO alone. Harnoncourt's interpretation is so saturated with insight that this is not only the best recording of this work currently available, but arguably some of the best Bartok performance you will find on record. Since the composer's music is often so technically difficult, it is frequently rehearsed only just beyond the point at which these difficulties have been surpassed, and where that dose of extra energy will be enough to justify a 'fine' recording. I offer, as an example, Charles Dutoit's recording with the OSM, which is excellent in that every detail is in place. But compare it to this recording and you will realise that there is an added dimension of interpretative insight that separates them.

With the virtuosity of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe taken for granted, Harnoncourt shows us that he has considered and imagined every scene in this remarkable little drama; characterising every motif, crafting every texture, conjuring up new colours, and breathing into every phrase a highly personal rubato. This is music-making that has certainly raised the ceiling of Bartok performance.

Excellent--going his own way works.......2005-09-29

There are already quite a few great recordings of Bartok's masterpiece, the Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta, fewer of the Divertimento, a masterpiece written on a smaller, simpler scale (but still thorny if you expect "divertimento" to connote Mozartean vivacity and charm). I own completely satisfying readings of the MFSPC by Reiner, Bernstein, and Levine. But Harnoncourt has carved out a special place beside these greats.

He takes very slow tempi in every movement compared to Reiner, but especially in the first--9:10 for Harnoncourt, 7:00 for Reiner. The effect of this slowing down is mesmerizing; you are forced to listen to the inner working of Bartok's complex rhythms as never before. Baartok was wriing is own version of counterpoint, and here his peculiar genius emerges with great freshness and freedom. The orchestra plays beautifully for him, and the sound from RCA/BMG is splendid.

I think this is a great addition to the Bartok catalog. Five stars.

new views on these great works.......2004-05-11

OK, Harnoncourt took his time to get round to recording Bartok but for me the results have been well worth it.

Getting my score out I notice that Harnoncourt's tempi are on the slow side but should this really be an issue when composers regularly mistime their own music? (One thinks of Webern writing of his Piano Variations Op.27 as being a '20-minute suite': most pianists get through them in six minutes or so) And besides, Bartok's metronome markings are often quite flexible so I don't think slow tempi really needs to be an issue. It's the finer musical details that mark a performance and this one has them in spades.

I liked Harnoncourt's way of shaping the fugal entries in the first movement- so much more interesting than the usual monochrome approach from other conductors. It's really pianissimo as well- listen to how much of a change in sonority there is when the strings finally take their mutes off. The climax is beautifully shaped and registers in all its urgency with a great thwack on the bass drum. (not just a dull thud as in other recordings) The second movement is a revelation in terms of the scrupulousness of Harnoncourt's approach to Bartok's details of articulation, dynamic and tempo. So many of the phrasings (eg around bar 360) sound so new- but there they are in the score. Harnoncourt's ear for colour is also a delight here- listen to the great passage around bar 190- with the two sound groupings (harp & second group of strings, piano & xylophone & first group) strikingly juxtaposed. The coda is fantastic and the CEO play like demons.

The slow movement again reveals a great ear for colour- one of the best things about this new recording is that Harnoncourt lets every instrument 'speak'- he never lets the music sound as though it's scored for two string orchestras plus a few added bits. It must be said the pianist in this recording does a marvellous job with Bartok's many different indications of attack and colour. Also, has anyone ever noticed those sforzati in the harp part before at letter D? Maybe there is a little lack of mystery overall in this movement but perhaps this has something to do with the performance being taped live.

The last movement is a corker (and right on tempo) but I have two niggles. Why the arpeggiations in the harp part at letter D when none are marked? And what's with the massive rall three bars before the end? (it would seem Harnoncourt has chosen to ignore the 'a tempo allargando' marking here) Nonetheless, this is a great reading of Bartok's masterpiece and the care that Harnoncourt lavishes on it makes the whole score gleam like new.

The Divertimento is a terrific performance too. I note that Harnoncourt is slower than most in the central movement- but- the score again- the tempo marking is molto adagio. So it's not really out of character. Again, the playing of the CEO is beyond reproach.

I thoroughly enjoyed this disc and don't know why some reviews have been negative about the performances. I found them gritty, virtuosic, atmospheric and moving. Hear them and make up your own minds.

Average customer rating: Authentic Bartok.

Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra / Fricsay Manufacturer: Polygram Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Bartók, Béla | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B000001GQV Release Date: 1997-01-28

Tracks:

1. Concerto For Orchestra Sz 116: 1. (Introduzione). Andante non troppo - Allegro vivace
2. Concerto For Orchestra Sz 116: 2. (Giuoco delle coppie). Allegretto scherzando
3. Concerto For Orchestra Sz 116: 3. (Elegia). Andante, non troppo
4. Concerto For Orchestra Sz 116: 4. (Intermezzo interrotto). Allegretto
5. Concerto For Orchestra Sz 116: 5. (Finale). Pesante - Presto
6. Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta Sz 106: 1. Andante tranquillo
7. Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta Sz 106: 2. Allegro
8. Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta Sz 106: 3. Adagio
9. Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta Sz 106: 4. Allegro molto

Customer Reviews:

Authentic Bartok........1999-09-24

This collection of pieces by Bartok is conducted by his Hungarian compatriot, Ferenc Fricsay. Fricsay, a student of Bartok while at the Franz Liszt Academy, has a unique understanding of his music and really brings it alive. This version of the Concerto for Orchestra is recognised as a classic - with hungarian authenticity and a superbly executed performance, this is an electric experience. The Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta is a personal favourite - if you've never heard Bartok before start off with this version. The sound is mono (recorded in the mid/late 50's) but this doesn't detract from the enjoyment of listening to these pieces played by a master.

Average customer rating: Powerful Bartok from Karajan

Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra, Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta Karajan , and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Manufacturer: Archiv/Universal ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B000024BRR Release Date: 1998-05-15

Tracks:

1. Introduziones
2. Allegretto Scherzando
3. Andante Non Troppo
4. Allegretto
5. Pesante Presto
6. I. Andnate Tanquillo
7. Ii. Allegro
8. Iii. Adagio
9. Iv. Allegromolto

Customer Reviews:

Powerful Bartok from Karajan.......2006-07-31

Karajan recorded the Bartok Concerto for Orchestra three times and the Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta twice. I haven't heard the other recordings he made of these two famous pieces, but from what I've read, the two performances on this disc are the best ones he did. And listening to this disc, it's hard to imagine that he could have done them better anywhere else,

Because Karajan made so many recordings of 19th-century music, people sometimes forget that many of his best recordings were of 20th-century music. And these highly disciplined, surprisingly taut, tension-filled, powerful Bartok recordings should be included among those great Karajan recordings. The Berlin Philharmonic is second to no other orchestra in playing this music with stunning virtuosity. Bartok and Karajan may not sound like a match made in musical heaven but unless you prize grittiness above all in Bartok, you might be surprised at how well that match works. Karajan and Berlin capture the shifting moods in both pieces beautifully. In particular, the Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta is a performance of amazing intensity.

There are many excellent performances available of both pieces. Reiner's performances are deservedly famous, and I also have a great fondness for Bernstein's very subjective, personalized performances. Kubelik's Boston Symphony Concerto for Orchestra is also excellent but seems to be unavailable right now. And many others are highly praised and I'm sure are quite fine (though I have to say that I find Boulez's Chicago Symphony Concerto for Orchestra on DG surprisingly flavorless and dull).

These recordings are not generally available in the U.S. right now, so it's perhaps not surprising I'm the first to review this CD here. (And it's good that amazon does carry it.) Anyone considering this CD can be assured that it represents a top choice for these two pieces. As an import, it does run a good deal more than Reiner or Bernstein. But it's well worth it, either as a first choice or if you're looking for a supplement to one or more other recordings you already own of these pieces.

Btw, this performance of the Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta is the same one that can be heard on a mid-priced DG disc coupled with Stravinsky's Apollo. The Apollo perhaps does not represent Karajan at his best, so this CD, while more expensive than the Stravinsky-Bartok pairing, is preferable.

Average customer rating:

Bartok: Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta; Hungarian Sketches Manufacturer: Jmc / Xrcd ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Bartók, Béla | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B00005YCJ1 Release Date: 2002-01-15

Tracks:

1. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celesta, Sz.106: Andante Tranquillo
2. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celesta, Sz.106: Allegro
3. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celesta, Sz.106: Adagio
4. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celesta, Sz.106: Allegro Molto
5. Hungarian Sketches. Sz.97: An Evening In The Village
6. Hungarian Sketches. Sz.97: Bear Dance
7. Hungarian Sketches. Sz.97: Melody
8. Hungarian Sketches. Sz.97: Slightly Tipsy
9. Hungarian Sketches. Sz.97: Swineherd's Dance

Track Listings:

1. Beethoven: Egmont overture/Symphony No.9
2. Beethoven/Liszt: Symphony No.5
3. Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor"; Fantasia
4. Beethoven: Sonate "à Kreutzer"
5. Beethoven: The Last 5 Piano Sonatas
6. Beethoven: Trio in Bf Op11
7. Beethoven: Variations, Dances & Bagatelles
8. Berlioz: Symphony fantastique/Dance of the Sylphs/Dvorak: Slavonic Dance
9. Chopin: Concerto for piano in Fm; Bach: Concerto for keyboard No1
10. Chopin: Polonaises No7; Ballades No3

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

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