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

[Stanfordian]

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...

Hiya jlw,

The Bartok violin concerto No. 2 is a superb work but I find myself playing the violin concerto No. 1 equally as much; a much underated work

[silvestrione]

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.

Caliban, I wonder if you could post a link to the new version of the French programme, my current bookmarks don't seem to work.
Thanks in advance.

[Nick Armstrong]

Caliban, I wonder if you could post a link to the new version of the French programme, my current bookmarks don't seem to work.
Thanks in advance.

I thought it worth a thread on its own:

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?9689-quot-La-Tribune-des-Critiques-de-Disques-quot-France-Musique&p=345192#post345192

Bonne écoute!

[silvestrione]

I thought it worth a thread on its own:

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?9689-quot-La-Tribune-des-Critiques-de-Disques-quot-France-Musique&p=345192#post345192

Bonne écoute!

Sorry, missed that! Many thanks.

[Nick Armstrong]

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 ?

I've at last finished this programme!

As mentioned earlier, Chung/Rattle and Faust/Harding fell at the first fence.

Next to go were Mullova/Salonen and Steinbacher/Janowski.

Mutter/Ozawa fell at the last, leaving Ms Kopachinskaya with the Frankfurt Radio SO under Eötvös as the winners - with some interesting 20th C couplings (Naive V5285)

[Petrushka]

I've at last finished this programme!

As mentioned earlier, Chung/Rattle and Faust/Harding fell at the first fence.

Next to go were Mullova/Salonen and Steinbacher/Janowski.

Mutter/Ozawa fell at the last, leaving Ms Kopachinskaya with the Frankfurt Radio SO under Eötvös as the winners - with some interesting 20th C couplings (Naive V5285)

It's a great disc! The Ligeti Violin Concerto is worth the price of the disc alone.

[Barbirollians]

I've at last finished this programme!

As mentioned earlier, Chung/Rattle and Faust/Harding fell at the first fence.

Next to go were Mullova/Salonen and Steinbacher/Janowski.

Mutter/Ozawa fell at the last, leaving Ms Kopachinskaya with the Frankfurt Radio SO under Eötvös as the winners - with some interesting 20th C couplings (Naive V5285)

This strikes me as the problem with this French programme - where were Menuhin, Chung/Solti, Kelemen, Gitlis etc.

[Thropplenoggin]

This strikes me as the problem with this French programme - where were Menuhin, Chung/Solti, Kelemen, Gitlis etc.

I'm not sure if you have listened to the programme. Each one deliberately opts for a small selection so that they can examine each recording in great detail, far more so than BaL can. It strikes me that there is also a reason behind the selected recordings. The Bartok would all appear to be fairly recent recordings. The programme on Mozart's Jupiter Symphony were all HIP recordings. It is, I believe, an excellent approach.

I should also add my gratitude to Caliban for flagging its existence here on these boards.

[Nick Armstrong]

This strikes me as the problem with this French programme - where were Menuhin, Chung/Solti, Kelemen, Gitlis etc.

It's true that the arbitrary selection of just 6 versions occasionally annoys - but it's the premise of the show, it doesn't purport to be a comprehensive review of the whole catalogue, just an opportunity to listen in depth and without preconceptions to 6 leading and/or recent versions. Sometimes they do pit 'classic' older versions against more recent ones. Currently starting a programme about Scriabin's 3rd piano sonata - historic v modern, absolutely fascinating...

T-Gin: cross-posted, to similar effect!

[Barbirollians]

It's true that the arbitrary selection of just 6 versions occasionally annoys - but it's the premise of the show, it doesn't purport to be a comprehensive review of the whole catalogue, just an opportunity to listen in depth and without preconceptions to 6 leading and/or recent versions. Sometimes they do pit 'classic' older versions against more recent ones. Currently starting a programme about Scriabin's 3rd piano sonata - historic v modern, absolutely fascinating...

T-Gin: cross-posted, to similar effect!

Mmm - seems indeed rather arbitrary as to which pieces get the old and new or just new versions approach .

The Dvorak Cello Concerto for example included a runaway winner from 1960 !

[teamsaint]

I didn't have any recordings of this at all until today. Have listened to a few, on and off, and been meaning to get stuck into it for a while.

Picked up a bargain copy of the Shaham/Boulez/Chicago SO disc.

Now, if i decide to award a prize for this years " Disc that most hit the spot on first play on the car CD player", this is going to take some beating.

Loved it. sound is superb , and playing does it for me.

but the amazon critics are less sure....and I am not an expert.

Any thoughts on this version?

[pastoralguy]

I didn't have any recordings of this at all until today. Have listened to a few, on and off, and been meaning to get stuck into it for a while.

Picked up a bargain copy of the Shaham/Boulez/Chicago SO disc.

Now, if i decide to award a prize for this years " Disc that most hit the spot on first play on the car CD player", this is going to take some beating.

Loved it. sound is superb , and playing does it for me.

but the amazon critics are less sure....an I am not an expert.

Any thoughts on this version?

Inspired by your post, I've popped this cd on. You did well to get this as a bargain.

IMVHO, it's superb fiddle playing and Boulez lets one hear tiny details in the score that are often covered over. The recording is very good indeed.

If I were to pick nits I would venture that it's a little 'easy' going. Shaham is a wonderful violinist but sometimes that can gloss over the nature of the music which, for me, should be a bit earthier. I could do with a little less 'fiddlestickery' and dome more rough edges.

If you can, try to hear Patricia Kopatchinskaja's version which is positively filthy!

But you did well to get this!

[teamsaint]

Inspired by your post, I've popped this cd on. You did well to get this as a bargain.

IMVHO, it's superb fiddle playing and Boulez lets one hear tiny details in the score that are often covered over. The recording is very good indeed.

If I were to pick nits I would venture that it's a little 'easy' going. Shaham is a wonderful violinist but sometimes that can gloss over the nature of the music which, for me, should be a bit earthier. I could do with a little less 'fiddlestickery' and dome more rough edges.

If you can, try to hear Patricia Kopatchinskaja's version which is positively filthy!

But you did well to get this!

Thanks for your thoughts PG. Your assessment sounds right. I'll deffo try to hear PK's version...sounds like heaven........

She is certainly the girl for this repertoire...saw her playing the Stravinsky last year......nice.

(it was a £2 charity shop buy, right in the middle of vast piles of cheap classical "best ofs" !!)

Edit: That disc PG was mentioning is in the naxos library, and includes, IIRC, a much favoured version of the Ligeti VC.

[pastoralguy]

We were lucky enough to hear her play this with the LPO at this years Edinburgh Festival. Goodness knows how her fiddle holds up under this punishment! We met her afterwards and she is delightful although as mad as a box of frogs. A fiddle player I really want to hear again.

[silvestrione]

We were lucky We met her afterwards and she is delightful although as mad as a box of frogs. A fiddle player I really want to hear again.

Met her? I am blue with jealousy (or something).
Sat in the front row at West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge, earlier this year when she directed an eclectic fascinating programme with the Britten Sinfonia. Fantastic.