BaL 21.11.15 - Bartok: Piano Concerto no. 2

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

0930
Building a Library: Harriet Smith compares recordings of Bartok's Second Piano Concerto, widely recognised as one of the most technically challenging pieces in the repertoire, and makes a personal recommendation.

Available versions:-

Géza Anda, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Boulez
Géza Anda, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Ernest Bour
Géza Anda, Berlin R.S.O, Ferenc Fricsay
Géza Anda, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Ferenc Fricsay
Géza Anda, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Hans Müller-Kray
Leif Ove Andsnes, Berliner Philharmoniker, Pierre Boulez
Vladimir Ashkenazy, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Georg Solti
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, BBC Philharmonic, Gianandrea Noseda
Peter Donohoe, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle
Philippe Entremont, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein
Sir Ernest Hall, Leeds Sinfonietta, David Greed (download)
Jeno Jando, Budapest Symphony Orchestra, Andras Ligeti
Zoltan Kocsis, Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra, György Lehel (download)
Stephen Kovacevich, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis
Lang Lang, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle
Maurizio Pollini, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Claudio Abbado
Sviatoslav Richter, Orchestre De Paris, Lorin Maazel
Pascal Rogé, London Symphony Orchestra, Walter Weller
György Sándor, Wiener Symphoniker, Ferenc Fricsay
György Sándor, Vienna Pro Musica Orchestra, Michael Gielen (download)
András Schiff, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Ivan Fischer

[Beef Oven!]

Who won?

[LeMartinPecheur]

Who won?

It's gone to the judges but the bookies have Anda at 4-1 and Fricsay at 6-1, with 10-1 a dead heat

And rank outsider Ida Haendel must be worth a flutter at 200-1!

[visualnickmos]

Who won?

[pastoralguy]

Ida Haendel could wipe the floor with all of these no hopers!

[Barbirollians]

Never liked the piece until I found Anda/Fricsay - sometimes recordings are legendary for a good reason.

[Bryn]

Is the Sandor/Adam Fischer no longer available?

[Petrushka]

Never liked the piece until I found Anda/Fricsay - sometimes recordings are legendary for a good reason.

This was my experience too and it would still be my first choice. However, the Pollini/Abbado disc is a real humdinger and in superb sound. For what it's worth my money is on yet another Abbado winner. Odds no better than 3/1.

[kea]

Pollini/Abbado will always be the winner in my heart.

(Among recordings not mentioned in the OP, I'm also aware of Bronfman/Salonen, Barto/Eschenbach, Helffer/Bour, Fernadi/Scherchen and Foldes/Bigot, don't know how available these are)

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

It's gone to the judges but the bookies have Anda at 4-1 and Fricsay at 6-1, with 10-1 a dead heat
And rank outsider Ida Haendel must be worth a flutter at 200-1!

If it were DON, I wouldn't mind putting a tenner on Sir Ernest Hall - a good chance it could end up paying for Christmas!

Yes, Pollini/Abbado and Anda/Fricsay have always been my own "turn-to" recordings of this work, too - but there are many on Alpie's list (for which, the usual thanks and respect, Alpie) that I've not heard, so this could be a very expensive morning for me.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Who won?

Surely the best #2 post of all time.

[verismissimo]

Surely the best #2 post of all time.

Was bbm taking a snooze at the time?

[BBMmk2]

Aha! I see! No I was working all day and by the time I came back home it was 6pm! Another 12 hour day done!

Looking forward to this but no Ferenc Fricsay available?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Looking forward to this but no Ferenc Fricsay available?

No, only nos. 3, 4 & 19. . .

[Black Swan]

This should be an interesting BAL. I have the Ashkenazy/LSO/Solti as a 2 disc set of all the Bartok Piano Concerti along with the Sonata for 2 Pianos and Percussion.