Bal 24.01.15 - Bartok: Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta

[Petrushka]

The score (Philharmonia 201) has details of the separated orchestral groups, and an orchestral layout.
Group I is violin I/II, viola I, cello I, and db I.
Group II is violin III/IV, viola II, cello II, and db II.

The percussion is as follows. Odd mixture of languages!
Tamburo piccolo senza corda, tamburo piccolo con corda, piatti (2 normale, 2 kleinere (mit hoherem Klang)), and tam-tam, all ascribed to one player.
Gran cassa, Timpani (Maschinenpauke), with instructions on how to do the glissandi if not this sort of drum, xylofono, celesta (which also plays the second piano part), arpa, pianoforte.

Thanks to Pulcinella and Ferney for providing this list. I've only heard it twice in concert (LPO/Solti and BPO/Rattle) and was surprised by how much more bite the percussion had than anything you get in a recording. Scanning my shelves I have Solti (x2), Karajan (x3), Reiner, Mravinsky and Boulez (x2).

[makropulos]

Thanks to Pulcinella and Ferney for providing this list. I've only heard it twice in concert (LPO/Solti and BPO/Rattle) and was surprised by how much more bite the percussion had than anything you get in a recording. Scanning my shelves I have Solti (x2), Karajan (x3), Reiner, Mravinsky and Boulez (x2).

I certainly know what you mean about the greater impact and punch of the percussion in a good live performance. Sadly I never heard Solti do this piece live - so I envy you that.

This is a piece I've loved ever since getting Solti's mono LPO recording on an Eclipse LP when I was at school (though it was never one of my set works). Recordings I have include:

Bernstein/NYPO - Sony
Bernstein/BRSO (in Budapest) - Hungaroton
Boulez/BBC SO - Sony
Dorati/LSO - Mercury
Fricsay/RIAS SO (mono) - DG
Kubelík/CSO (mono) - Mercury
Mackerras/SCO - Linn
Mravinsky/Leningrad PO
Reiner/CSO - RCA
Solti/LPO (mono) - Decca
Solti/CSO - Decca

Thought I had Karajan's 1960 recording which I like very much, but I suppose I must have lent it to someone who liked it too...

I also have an unusual two-disc set called "Paul Sacher Remembers Bartók" which includes a live performance of MSPC with the Oxford Orchestra da Camera given in the Sheldonian Theatre on 26 September 1995 (the 50th anniversary of Bartók's death). It's interesting to hear the work conducted by its dedicatee - and to hear Sacher talking about it. This set was issued by the orchestra itself on OODC 002. Has anyone else got this, I wonder? Or did anybody go to the concert?

[Beef Oven!]

I think maybe you mean an RCA SACD for Reiner? On Mercury there's Kubelik/Chicago SO (mono) and Dorati/LSO (stereo).

Has anybody mentioned Bernstein/Bavarian Radio SO on Hungaroton? (HCD12631 - officially I think it's only available as a download, but there are real copies around).

RCA, indeed. I get confused so easily these days.

[Ian]

I’ve got two and a quarter recordings of this work and I don’t think any of them has been mentioned. My first buy, in the early 70s was an EMI LP with Barenboim and the English Chamber Orchestra. More recently I have an Apex CD with Jukka-Pekka Saraste and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. I like both of them. The ECO, as you might expect, is much more chamber like - I doubt if there are more than four firsts in each group - sometimes a bit raw sounding - but it takes you on the journey... The TSO is much more symphonic sounding - very nice sound but I don’t get the same sense of journey.

The ‘quarter’ is the third movement on a CD called Best of Stephen King vol. 1 - it’s a performance licensed from Opus Records Bratislava - no more details. Does anyone know who this might be - it’s a pretty good performance - vivid and atmospheric and I wouldn’t mind hearing the rest of it.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Articlette on Opus Records, Bratislava on WIKI, Ian:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OPUS_Records

There is, as you may know, a "catalogue" of sorts of their releases on Discogs' site, but I couldn't find any Bartok:

http://www.discogs.com/label/20727-Opus?page=2&genre=Classical&limit=100

[Petrushka]

Listened to the BBCSO/Boulez earlier on this morning. Not bad at all, percussion more sharply etched than most, strings with perhaps not quite the depth of tone you'd get from Berlin or Chicago and the whole lacking just a little in Hungarian fire but, as I say, not bad at all.

[Pulcinella]

My first buy, in the early 70s was an EMI LP with Barenboim and the English Chamber Orchestra.

I had that LP too, coupled with the Divertimento.
The Divertimento made it onto a CD in the short-lived EMI Matrix series, but not the MSPC.

A bit of googling has corrected another memory lapse: the Heliodor LP mentioned above (in post 8) coupled the Hindemith with the Divertimento, not the MSPC.

[LeMartinPecheur]

I’ve got two and a quarter recordings of this work and I don’t think any of them has been mentioned. My first buy, in the early 70s was an EMI LP with Barenboim and the English Chamber Orchestra. More recently I have an Apex CD with Jukka-Pekka Saraste and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. I like both of them. The ECO, as you might expect, is much more chamber like - I doubt if there are more than four firsts in each group - sometimes a bit raw sounding - but it takes you on the journey... The TSO is much more symphonic sounding - very nice sound but I don’t get the same sense of journey.

Well remembered Ian! I have that LP in its reissued HMV Eminence format now I look closely at the shelves.

[VodkaDilc]

I share your grimace. I love this work but don't think I am prepared to listen through the Andrew and Rob show to gain any insight into available recordings. I will wait for the final outcome to see where my current recording rates.

Exactly my reaction. An hour's chit-chat is not my idea of good use of my time - especially as I would find it hard to improve on my beloved Reiner.

When will they realise that this format is dreadful?

[Beef Oven!]

Oh dear, we don't like change.

[VodkaDilc]

Exactly my reaction. An hour's chit-chat is not my idea of good use of my time - especially as I would find it hard to improve on my beloved Reiner.

When will they realise that this format is dreadful?

I think the Reiner is also available on LP. Is it time that CD Review started taking vinyl into account? Sorry if this opens a can of worms. Perhaps it should change its name - Record Review sounds quite catchy.

[visualnickmos]

I think the Reiner is also available on LP. Is it time that CD Review started taking vinyl into account? Sorry if this opens a can of worms. Perhaps it should change its name - Record Review sounds quite catchy.

....which is what it was formerly called!

[LeMartinPecheur]

....which is what it was formerly called!

OK, how about 'Disc-crimination' then?

[mikealdren]

Oh dear, we don't like change.

I for one don't mind change. However we have tried this format a number of times and it doesn't work!

Mike

[pastoralguy]

I think the Reiner is also available on LP. Is it time that CD Review started taking vinyl into account? Sorry if this opens a can of worms. Perhaps it should change its name - Record Review sounds quite catchy.

I have it on good authority that there may be a feature on vinyl on 'Record Shop Day' in April. There does seem to be a bit of a vinyl revival on at the moment.