Search - Bela Bartok, Constant Lambert, Eugene Ormandy :: Bartók Premières

How can you live without these musical treasures?

Hiram Gomez Pardo | Valencia, Venezuela | 01/03/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is one of the top artistic issues edited by pearl ; this outstanding label has recovered for the immortality three legendary performances.



The Concerto for Orchestra with Reiner and the Pittsburgh Symphony is a reference pattern with all the previous or next releases . The approach given for Reiner is simply epic . The last movement is unbeatable . I do not understand why the Chicago Symphony is more appreciated . The bitterness and the strong character of this hard to play work is carefully conducted ; the accents , the dramatic plot , the clear elegiac atmosphere of the Second Movement , the astonishing lyric flight and above all the sparkling of the whole ensemble ; those tuttis and thundering sforzandi has no parallel in the story . The other two recordings which move near in spirit would be the Boston Symphony conduceted by Koussevitszki and the Fricsay Berlin Symphony in the early fifties .



But believe me after you have listened the vertiginous and energetic climax of the Grand Finale I doubt you want to listen another version.



Besides this monumental recording you have the historical premiere given on April1 946 by Gyorgy Sandor , Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra . Sublime from start to finish .



The incandescent rapture and monumental pianism of Sandor plus the heavy weight string section of this Orchestra make the rest .



And there is more : The Portrait Op. 5 for Violin and Orchestra SZ 37 with Joseph Szigeti , to my mind the best violinist of the XX Century with Constant Lambert and the Philarmonia Orchestra in a overwhelming raeding of this work .



Consider this album with an underestimated value .

Historic treasures of first rate .





"