BaL 14.09.13 Bartok's Dance Suite

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

9.30 a.m.
Rob Cowan with a personal recommendation from recordings of Bartok's Dance Suite

Available versions

Bournemouth SO, Marin Alsop
Suisse Romande Orchestra, Ansermet
New York Philharmonic, Boulez
Chicago SO, Boulez (download)
Philharmonia Hungarica, Antal Dorati
Hungarian State SO, Adam Fischer
Budapest Festival Orchestra, Ivan Fischer
RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Ferenc Fricsay
Danubia Orchestra Óbuda, Domonkos Héja
Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, Zoltan Kocsis
Philharmonia Orchestra, Igor Markevitch
Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Marriner (download)
Minnesota Orchestra, Skrowaczewski
Chicago SO. Solti
LPO, Solti (download)
LSO, Solti (download)

Piano versions:

Hortense Cartier-Bresson (download)
Gábor Gabos
Jeno Jando
Zoltan Kocsis
Robin McCabe
Jan Michiels

[verismissimo]

The return of the Real Thing. And good to see one of Eine's best listings again.

Surprisingly, not so long for Mr Cowan.

[LeMartinPecheur]

As a Bartok lover I shall listen with interest, not least because I really can't see how Rob C is going to find enough to talk about! I do like the work but don't recall hearing any performance that hit me as stand-out good or bad: seems like it always sounds pretty much the same. Or am I being hopelessly undiscerning?

My shelves say much the same. I bought as a student the Decca Solti SXL with the Concerto for Orchestra and that's it apart from a copy of the later Decca Chicago/ Solti LP given to me by an unimpressed (=non-Bartokian) friend. Was a bit surprised to find no CD version but I don't think I really need one.

[umslopogaas]

LMP, I'm in much the same boat. I have, all on LP: Dorati and the Phil. Hung. O on Mercury; Solti and the LPO on Decca (mono); Solti and the LSO also on Decca, in stereo (this would be my definitive version, if I was forced to choose one, it was one of the very first full price LPs I bought, and I still have a copy, though not the original purchase, destructive cheap styli put paid to that); Dorati and the Philharmonia Hungarica on Philips (this might be the same recording as the one already mentioned, I believe there was a tie-up between Mercury and Philips, in that Philips took over the Mercury catalogue and issued a few remnants under the Philips label); Fricsay and the RIAS SO on DG (mono). Nothing on CD, but it must be out there.

[Tony Halstead]

LMP, I'm in much the same boat. I have, all on LP: Dorati and the Phil. Hung. O on Mercury; Solti and the LPO on Decca (mono); Solti and the LSO also on Decca, in stereo (this would be my definitive version, if I was forced to choose one, it was one of the very first full price LPs I bought, and I still have a copy, though not the original purchase, destructive cheap styli put paid to that); Dorati and the Philharmonia Hungarica on Philips (this might be the same recording as the one already mentioned, I believe there was a tie-up between Mercury and Philips, in that Philips took over the Mercury catalogue and issued a few remnants under the Philips label); Fricsay and the RIAS SO on DG (mono). Nothing on CD, but it must be out there.

The one I 'grew up with' is the Solti / LSO / Decca one and it is still available - on CD - on Amazon for an astonishing 'price bandwidth' of about £2 ( 2nd hand) to £100+ ( new )

[visualnickmos]

Solti is excellent on Decca - with the LSO and the CSO - "love Bartok" is surely a phrase that sums up Solti's approach in the works of one of his illustrious compatriots.

[Bryn]

Is it specifically the version for orchestra which Rob is examining?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Is it specifically the version for orchestra which Rob is examining?

A fair point. I might add the piano versions to the list.

[umslopogaas]

Yes, I sense (without any real knowledge of the subject) that Solti and Bartok know what each other are trying to say. Bartok, Solti and Decca gave me an insight into a world that I'm still trying to understand, but its a lot of fun, that trying.

[Black Swan]

Yes, I sense (without any real knowledge of the subject) that Solti and Bartok know what each other are trying to say. Bartok, Solti and Decca gave me an insight into a world that I'm still trying to understand, but its a lot of fun, that trying.

I agree, this is a favorite work. But believe Solti who knew Bartok is one of the key interpreters. .

[LeMartinPecheur]

A fair point. I might add the piano versions to the list.

Good point - in that case I must add Kocsis to my "only got double-Solti" call above.

[Petrushka]

I've got 'triple-Solti'! It's impossible to see any other version getting the nod if indeed it is just the orchestral Dance Suite that is being discussed.

[Barbirollians]

LSO/Solti for me.

[verismissimo]

... I do like the work but don't recall hearing any performance that hit me as stand-out good or bad: seems like it always sounds pretty much the same. Or am I being hopelessly undiscerning?...

I'm in the same boat, LMP. I have Ivan Fischer with his Budapest Festival Orch from 1989 and Janos Sandor with the Budapest Phil from c. 1970 (nla). Both sound fine to me. Perhaps I'll become more enlightened on Saturday morning.

I've never heard the piano version.

[Bryn]

I went looking for my György Sándor CD of the piano versions of the Concerto for Orchestra and the Dance Suite, but I appear to have 'misfiled' it. It will turn up in due course. In the meantime it will have to be Kocsis for the Dance Suite.