BaL 29.02.20 - Bartók: Piano Concerto No 3.

[edashtav]

Indeed, and quite a shock to me to read that his adoption of Unitarianism did not come late in life. His public declaration was as early as 1916. An aspect of Bartok's life which had somehow eluded me.

To add a little more to what we have learned about this aspect of Bartok, it's clear from the source I shall quote that Bela Bartok (snr.) is respected by Unitarians. The following comes from D.U.U.B. ( the on-line Dictionary of Unitarians and Universalists' Biography):
" In 1909 Bartók married Márta Ziegler. Their son, Béla Jr., was born in 1910. In the presence of his son Bartók declared his conversion to Unitarianism on July 25, 1916, and joined the Mission House Congregation of the Unitarian Church in Budapest in 1917. Formal church affiliation enhanced Bartók's prospects for additional employment, and enabled his son to avoid otherwise mandatory Catholic religious instruction. Father and son attended the Unitarian Church regularly. Bartók was briefly the chair of a music committee, but was not a success in this role. He had strict and conservative ideas about church music and would have forbidden the use of any instruments other than an organ.

Béla Bartók Jr. later wrote that his father joined the Unitarian faith "primarily because he held it to be the freest, most humanistic faith." Although Bartók was not conventionally religious, "he was a nature lover: he always mentioned the miraculous order of nature with great reverence." Nature was Bartók's hobby as well. He collected specimens: plants, minerals, and, especially, insects.
Later in life he expressed his philosophy using a homely image drawn from nature: "There is life in this dried-up mound of dung. There is life feeding on this dead heap. You see how the worms and bugs are working busily helping themselves to whatever they need, making little tunnels and passages, and then soil enters, bringing with it stray seeds. Soon pale shoots of grass will appear, and life will complete its cycle, teeming within this lump of death.""

[Bryn]

To add a little more to what we have learned about this aspect of Bartok, it's clear from the source I shall quote that Bela Bartok (snr.) is respected by Unitarians. The following comes from D.U.U.B. ( the on-line Dictionary of Unitarians and Universalists' Biography):
" In 1909 Bartók married Márta Ziegler. Their son, Béla Jr., was born in 1910. In the presence of his son Bartók declared his conversion to Unitarianism on July 25, 1916, and joined the Mission House Congregation of the Unitarian Church in Budapest in 1917. Formal church affiliation enhanced Bartók's prospects for additional employment, and enabled his son to avoid otherwise mandatory Catholic religious instruction. Father and son attended the Unitarian Church regularly. Bartók was briefly the chair of a music committee, but was not a success in this role. He had strict and conservative ideas about church music and would have forbidden the use of any instruments other than an organ.

Béla Bartók Jr. later wrote that his father joined the Unitarian faith "primarily because he held it to be the freest, most humanistic faith." Although Bartók was not conventionally religious, "he was a nature lover: he always mentioned the miraculous order of nature with great reverence." Nature was Bartók's hobby as well. He collected specimens: plants, minerals, and, especially, insects.
Later in life he expressed his philosophy using a homely image drawn from nature: "There is life in this dried-up mound of dung. There is life feeding on this dead heap. You see how the worms and bugs are working busily helping themselves to whatever they need, making little tunnels and passages, and then soil enters, bringing with it stray seeds. Soon pale shoots of grass will appear, and life will complete its cycle, teeming within this lump of death.""

Come to think of it, an outlook not that dissimilar to that of Janacek.

[richardfinegold]

Interesting discussion about his Unitarian beliefs. My wife sister is married to a Unitarian Minister, in a small town in Southern Illinois, and when we visit them we inevitably attend a service. Their hymnal has quite a lot of music by Vaughn Williams and other familiar Composers, but I don’t remember seeing anything by BB.

[Sir Velo]

I suddenly felt that I 'got' Bartok for the first time in my life, for which I am very grateful! Might order the Schiff, I liked the sound of it.

The third is very different from almost all of the rest of his compositions.

[edashtav]

Interesting discussion about his Unitarian beliefs. My wife sister is married to a Unitarian Minister, in a small town in Southern Illinois, and when we visit them we inevitably attend a service. Their hymnal has quite a lot of music by Vaughn Williams and other familiar Composers, but I don’t remember seeing anything by BB.

Now that would be a discovery! I do recall a small organ piece, was it called En Bateau? It might have represented crossing the Atlantic in a storm, so violent was its lurching, unsteady gait.

[Pulcinella]

Now that would be a discovery! I do recall a small organ piece, was it called En Bateau? It might have represented crossing the Atlantic in a storm, so violent was its lurching, unsteady gait.

Is the brass chorale in the second movement of the Concerto for orchestra 'original' or not?
It's certainly stressed rather oddly metrically, although effectively 7.7.7.7, so it might be hard to find a hymn with such a disposition of words that fits it well. Might be fun to try!

[Barbirollians]

Is the brass chorale in the second movement of the Concerto for orchestra 'original' or not?
It's certainly stressed rather oddly metrically, although effectively 7.7.7.7, so it might be hard to find a hymn with such a disposition of words that fits it well. Might be fun to try!

I note there is a Presto CD of the Zoltan Kocsis recordings available.

[BBMmk2]

Shame the reviewer wasn’t keen on Argerich’s recordings.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Shame the reviewer wasn’t keen on Argerich’s recordings.

[silvestrione]

Shame the reviewer wasn’t keen on Argerich’s recordings.

i don't think that reflects her comments. Sure, it didn't make the final four, but there were two long extracts that drew appreciative remarks.

She brings her usual qualities, i.e. intensity, involvement, energy/spontaneity, without quite being specially attuned to Bartok in the way of Anda and Schiff, I would say.

[Bryn]

i don't think that reflects her comments. Sure, it didn't make the final four, but there were two long extracts that drew appreciative remarks.

She brings her usual qualities, i.e. intensity, involvement, energy/spontaneity, without quite being specially attuned to Bartok in the way of Anda and Schiff, I would say.

Not forgetting Kocsis/BFO/Ivan Fischer, which was not even considered.

[edashtav]

Is the brass chorale in the second movement of the Concerto for orchestra 'original' or not?
It's certainly stressed rather oddly metrically, although effectively 7.7.7.7, so it might be hard to find a hymn with such a disposition of words that fits it well. Might be fun to try!

Now... where is my ms? [ The Concerto for orchestra is not one of my favourite Bartok works.]

[Zucchini]

Not forgetting Kocsis/BFO/Ivan Fischer, which was not even considered.

How do you know that?

[Bryn]

How do you know that?

In the context of the programme, as broadcast, it was not considered. The very fact that Decca chose it, rather than Schiff with the same orchestra and conductor to represent the work (along with the Anda/BRSO/Fricsay) in their complete Bartok box gives a fair indication of the high regard in which it is held.

Oops! Just remembered, the Schiff is on Warner. The point re the high regard in which the Kocsis is held, remains.

[Maclintick]

How do you know that?

As Bryn says, the version by Kocsis/BFO/Fischer certainly wasn't referred to throughout the progamme -- an extraordinary lapse on the part of the reviewer in that Zoltan Kocsis, Ivan Fischer, & the hand-picked cream of Hungarian musicians that comprise the Budapest Festival Orchestra turn in a performance which is both idiomatic & virtuosic.

Overall Kate Molleson did an OK job, but I seriously began to wonder at her musical judgement when she thrice referred to Bartók's first 2 piano concertos as "brutal". Not for me they're not -- no 1 an effervescent and inspiring exploration of North African rhythms & textures, spikily percussive and playful, and no 2 a joyful re-invention of baroque concerto grosso leavened with that spectral night-music...great, great works.