Search - Bartok, Pludermacher, Heisser :: Bartok: Works for Two Pnos

A truly marvelous release

G.D. | Norway | 03/27/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is, in the end, the best available recording of one of the greatest masterpieces ever created; and it is coupled with a very interesting early work. Heisser and Pludermacher are impressively well-matched. Everything is excellently shaped, and the interaction between the two pianists and between the pianists and the percussionists is nothing short of stunning. The textural metamorphoses and details, as well as rhythmic incisiveness and bite, are amazingly realized, and the way the instrumental textures blend into each other and balance against each other a sheer wonder. And the performance is sinewy, full of urgency, tension and power. Some details might not work perfectly, and the position of the pianos might conceivably be an issue to some, but this is overall a superb account.



The suite, originally for orchestra, is one of the works that ushered Bartók's more mature style - it is still rooted in late-romanticism, but the use of folk music elements and the pulse is something new and fresh. The performance here is almost as impressive as in the sonata; sharp, biting, fresh and rhythmically propulsive. The sound quality is good, if a little close. This is, overall, an urgently recommendable release, a must-have, even; and at the price there is no conceivable reason not to acquire it - immediately!"