Bartok anyone?

[Black Swan]

I hope performances of Bartok are not waning. I love this composer. But I think he has in a way suffered I don't know why. I am one of those really odd birds and please board members don't hold this against me, but I am not a fan of Shostakovitch who gets lots of air time. This is just my personal preference. But I think allot of the play time is hyped by the orchestras, etc.

J

[Vile Consort]

Another great fan of BB here. I started listening to his works in my teens - largely spurred on by the supposed difficulty of the music - starting with Strings, Percussion and Celeste and continuing with the quartets and Bluebeard's Castle (which I saw at the Palace Theatre in Manchester whilst I was still at school).

[Vile Consort]

But were any of you present for a performance of this work in the Free Trade Hall not long before it closed? Fabulous Hungarian bass, whose name I forget. And eight extra trumpets in the gallery for door 5. Who was conducting - Tortelier? Downes? It's funny how little you can remember of a concert other than that it was superb.

[Simon B]

But were any of you present for a performance of this work in the Free Trade Hall not long before it closed? Fabulous Hungarian bass, whose name I forget. And eight extra trumpets in the gallery for door 5. Who was conducting - Tortelier? Downes? It's funny how little you can remember of a concert other than that it was superb.

Michele Kalmandi, Sylvia Sass, Halle cond Kent Nagano in April '95?

"Red Ted" Downes did do it with the BBC Phil in the mid 80s - rather before my time, a pity in this case since from circa 1994-2004 this combination gave some of the most intense of the many performances of big C20 rep I've attended...

[mercia]

I don't know if Radio 3 thinks I'm listening to the Concerto for Orchestra at the moment - I'm sure I'm not

[Nick Armstrong]

I don't know if Radio 3 thinks I'm listening to the Concerto for Orchestra at the moment - I'm sure I'm not

It was certainly announced as such. I had to switch off at that point, as I wasn't in the mood

What in fact did I miss?

[mercia]

The Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta

"apologies for that - I'm pretty sure tomorrow we shall have the 3rd Piano Concerto." Fair enough.

[LeMartinPecheur]

Returning to my OP, I've been trying to get some Bartok, especially a quartet, onto the menus for the Truro 3 Arts concerts that I help plan. We're already planning the 2015/16 season, but no success so far

It's not that my fellow-planners kick up rough when I mention the B-word, more that few if any ensembles are offering any

[richardfinegold]

I heard the 3rd PC here 2 years ago, but there was definitely more Bartok on the schedule when the Orchestra was headed by Solti or Reiner

[gurnemanz]

One of my first classical LPs (still got) was Solti Concerto for Orch (glorious mono).

Bowled over by the PCs when I first heard them as a student umpteen years ago - this LP:



Memories of a very young Nigel Kennedy doing the the solo sonata in a church at the Bath Festival on his "second-hand fiddle".

[Bryn]

One of my first classical LPs (still got) was Solti Concerto for Orch (glorious mono).

Bowled over by the PCs when I first heard them as a student umpteen years ago - this LP:



Memories of a very young Nigel Kennedy doing the the solo sonata in a church at the Bath Festival on his "second-hand fiddle".

Couldn't afford such luxuries when I introduced myself to Bartok's work at about 15. I found the quartets upstairs in a Singer Sewing Machine shop (the Fine Arts Quartet), then got the 3rd Piano Concerto and the Viola Concerto (Supraphon) by ordering it from a long gone music shop in Eton. I also got the Sonata for 2 Pianos and Percussion from the same shop. That introduced me to Janacek's Concertino. Happy days. All bought with saved 'dinner money'.

[Roehre]

Bowled over by the PCs when I first heard them as a student umpteen years ago - this LP:

And the accompanying one with the first concerto and the Rhapsodie opus 1

[Dave2002]

Returning to my OP, I've been trying to get some Bartok, especially a quartet, onto the menus for the Truro 3 Arts concerts that I help plan. We're already planning the 2015/16 season, but no success so far

It's not that my fellow-planners kick up rough when I mention the B-word, more that few if any ensembles are offering any

We had the 2nd String Quartet round here a few weeks ago - played by the Heath Quartet - http://www.ocms-music.org.uk/concert...string-quartet
I think there are still quartets and other ensembles willing to play Bartók's music.

[Dave2002]

Suffolkcoastal: thanks for mentioning the Rumanian dances - I'd meant to exclude them from my strictures in my OP! It very nearly is possible to get sick of them

Presumably they do now count as 'popular' but maybe that's only because Bartok didn't acksherly write the chunes

They are quite fun to play (or try to) on the piano.

[Maclintick]

Another great fan of BB here. I started listening to his works in my teens - largely spurred on by the supposed difficulty of the music - starting with Strings, Percussion and Celeste and continuing with the quartets and Bluebeard's Castle (which I saw at the Palace Theatre in Manchester whilst I was still at school).

Ditto. Teenage pocket-money saved for Bartok on 60's vinyl - Music for SPC on the Decca Argo label (ASMF/Marriner) coupled with the under-appreciated but wonderful Divertimento - & the piano & violin concertos with Entremont, Barenboim & Menuhin. The percussive dissonances of PC1 blasting through the house were as shocking as Hendrix or The Who to parents whose musical tastes ranged from Bach & Handel to the Viennese classics, & for whom Elgar was a "modern" composer. For my money, with Stravinsky, Debussy & Ravel, the Hungarian is a true 20th-century great ( makes mental note to engage more fully with the quartets....)