Bartok Violin Concerto No 2 - a stunning discovery for me anyway

[mikealdren]

It's been a lucky work on disk. I started with an LP that claimed to be David Oistrakh with Rozhdestvensky. Whoever was playing (Igor? Kogan?) it's very fine but poor sound.

All my subsequent recordings: Gitlis Midori, Mullova and Perlman are very good indeed.

Mike

[Barbirollians]

I note that in IRR Peter Rabinowitz suggested that there was a decline in the support for Bartok's concertos by violinists suggesting that one was more likely to find the Berg or Shostakovich 1 in a violinist's repertoire nowadays - albeit one might think recent recordings from Ehnes and Faust and the Gramophone winning No 2 from Patricia K do not seem to suggest a work in decline.

The somewhat lukewarm approach of some on this thread to this work might support that . I tend to think , however, that Bartok's major works are now no longer considered in any way new music or difficult but central repertoire pieces hence it is no longer remarkable how often they are heard . For example , in the concert hall Bartok 2 is a darn sight more often heard than Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole !

[pastoralguy]

I have to say that it's one of my all time fav works. I just love the no- nonsense lack of prettiness of it! It needs a real demon of a fiddle player to pull it off.

I've. Just taken delivery of Isaac Stern with Lenny and the NYPO that's just been re-released on SACD so may listen tonite.

I do love Anne-Sophie Mutter's version. Very up close and personal. Kyoko Takezawa is also superb. (It was part of Dudley Moore's ' CONCERTO'. Programme a few years ago. Boy, did she give it the treatment?!!)
Oh, and, of course, Ida Haendel!

[Barbirollians]

Anyone have a view on the Faust recording ?

[visualnickmos]

.....Isaac Stern with Lenny and the NYPO that's just been re-released on SACD so may listen tonite.

I particularly enjoy Isaac Stern's playing of Bartok.

[Nick Armstrong]

I have to say I am not a great fan of Bartok 2. In fact, Bartok tends to lose more often than he involves me.

The somewhat lukewarm approach of some on this thread to this work

I have to say that it's one of my all time fav works. I just love the no- nonsense lack of prettiness of it!

I've heard this piece a couple of times in concert; and am about half-way through the French critics' programme which was on recently, blind-tasting 6 versions.

I'm on DublinJ's side of the fence, in fact I have to say I find the piece almost completely impenetrable. I have a real aural block with it. (But the whole Hungarian/gipsy fiddler/violin dance music thing leaves me totally cold, I'm afraid.)

[Petrushka]

I've heard this piece a couple of times in concert; and am about half-way through the French critics' programme which was on recently, blind-tasting 6 versions.

I'm on DublinJ's side of the fence, in fact I have to say I find the piece almost completely impenetrable. I have a real aural block with it. (But the whole Hungarian/gipsy fiddler/violin dance music thing leaves me totally cold, I'm afraid.)

I too have found the Bartok VC 2 impenetrable but recently bought the Patricia Kopatchinskaja recording and I think it could just be about to 'click'. Another couple of playings should do it.

[Barbirollians]

I found it very early as the way in to his music . I love it to bits . I cannot understand how it is impenetrable - it is not that avant garde for example .

Is it the Hungarian thing Caliban ??? Liszt , Bartok , goulash ???

[Nick Armstrong]

I cannot understand how it is impenetrable - it is not that avant garde for example.

I just hear a succession of notes, making no sense to me - like someone prattling away in a foreign language that I don't speak or recognise... and rather an irritating language at that.

NB: I do like Bartok's piano concertos!

Is it the Hungarian thing Caliban ??? Liszt , Bartok , goulash ???

No problem AT ALL with goulash!!

[Nick Armstrong]

Not a piece I know well. But the French critics covered it in their blind-tasting review show on Sunday evening. I haven't heard it yet, but once the podcast has been listened to, I will report back if anyone's interested...

I would be interested, and may do a "listen again" myself if I have time.

Part way through this "Tribune des Critiques" programme now, and Chung/Rattle and Faust/Harding have been eliminated after 'blind listenings' to the opening of, and the cadenza of, the first movement. The latter recording came in for some particularly trenchant criticism ("How not to play it...")

[richardfinegold]

I've heard this piece a couple of times in concert; and am about half-way through the French critics' programme which was on recently, blind-tasting 6 versions.

I'm on DublinJ's side of the fence, in fact I have to say I find the piece almost completely impenetrable. I have a real aural block with it. (But the whole Hungarian/gipsy fiddler/violin dance music thing leaves me totally cold, I'm afraid.)

It's charms have consistently eluded me as well.

[Barbirollians]

Part way through this "Tribune des Critiques" programme now, and Chung/Rattle and Faust/Harding have been eliminated after 'blind listenings' to the opening of, and the cadenza of, the first movement. The latter recording came in for some particularly trenchant criticism ("How not to play it...")

Who won ?

[amateur51]

Who won ?

He's eking this one out, I reckon Barbs

[Nick Armstrong]

Who won ?

I've reported on as far as I've got! Will 'eke' out the rest as I get to it! I tend to listen to 20-30 minutes chunks of the 2 hour programme.

[jayne lee wilson]

Amazing differences between responses here! I almost wore out my response to Bartok 2, so often I heard & played it - but it is simply one of the great Violin Concertos, folk and gypsy meets post-romantic 20thC rhapsody... it's a very original synthesis, whose only weakness may be just a slight lessening of inspiration in the finale, effective enough as a conclusion. Despite a rather dry & close recording, if I sought it out now it would be Kelemen/Hungarian NPO/Kocsis/Hungaraton. Fullest & most vivid expression of the whole vision...