Search - Bela Bartok, Simon Rattle, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra :: Bartók: Piano Concertos 1-2-3 - Peter Donohoe / City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Simon Rattle

GREAT COLLECTION OF 20TH CENTURY CONCERT MUSIC

C. McGovern | Beacon Falls, CT USA | 02/21/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I really don't think I've ever truly appreciated Bartok until I heard the 3 Piano Concertos. This is one of the nicest collections of a complete set of concertos I've listened to to date. The silence is so clear you can hear a pin drop, and the music rises to the occasion at every turn. Peter Donohoe, who sounded absolutely brilliant on a recording of Brahms' 1st I recently purchased, proves he's just as well versed in a much more modern-style concerto. If you haven't yet heard Bartok, I recommend this recording to get you on your way!"

Great Bartok Recordings

D. A Wend | Buffalo Grove, IL USA | 09/27/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording of Bartok's three piano concertos is among the very best. The playing in this recording by Peter Donohoe and Simon Rattle conducting the City of Birmingham Orchestra is fantastic. As the reviewer in Gramophone said, they make the First Piano Concerto sound fun. The First and Second concertos are formidable works with the piano being treated as a percussion instrument at times and certainly are not easy works to listen to. They are played here with a sensitivity that brings forth each bit of shading and texture. The Andante of the Second (so-called night music) is a favorite of mine, and it is played with every nuance given its due. The only problem I find is that I have to adjust the volume in order to hear the music. The Third concerto is absolutely luminous. The second movement with the sounds of nature is particularly played with a perfect degree of coloring. This is a disc that I play often and have not heard better accounts of these wonderful concertos. For fans of Bartok's music, this disc is a must."