Can anyone touch the splendid KWC/Solti recording of this work ? - a marvellous recording and amazing to find it is nearly 30 years old .
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It's a terrific work, Barbie, though still not often played, perhaps because Bartok suppressed it and it didn't surface until after Steffi Geyer's death in 1956, although it was written in 1907-08. Filled with his love for her.
KWC is terrific with Solti in it. I still have the earlier recording by Denes Kovacs with the Budapest Phil/Andras Korodi from 1969. Also good IMO.
Then there's the Stern/Bernstein recording of the Rhapsody first movement from 1962... -
It is possible that he would have liked to publish the whole piece, but was unable to do so as Geyer got the whole of the autograph score, whereas Bartok only had a copy of the 1st mvt.Originally posted by verismissimo View Post
That first mvt was published as the first of the 2 portraits op.5 in 1911 already.
It is also possible that Bartok was not completely happy with the whole of the concert.
As I knew the concert before this opus 5, most of the times I am still surprised as the 2nd portrait is played
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I know what you mean . I am always expecting the second movement .
The KWC performance is overflowing with feeling - it was an inspired coupling originally with the Berg Concerto - two such different outpourings of emotion.
I have a number of performances of the Berg from Menuhin to the excellent recent Steinbacher and Faust . The KWC still strikes me as intensely beautiful and the performance to play to any sceptic.Comment
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Somehow the work has never really appealed to me, I listened to the Midori version again this weekend but I find the work as a whole unmemorable.
Maybe I need to dig out the Oistrakh and Gertler versions I have but I'm not very enthusiastic.
Mike,Comment
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She's very good, as is the Chicago symphony orchestra under Solti.Originally posted by Barbirollians View PostComment
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