Pierre Boulez Conducts Bartók

This is a predictably high quality release. One can research the widely praised performances on Fanfare or the American Record Guide. Boulez is a different sort of conductor from the eminent 20th century musicians (Reiner, Dorati, Koussevitzky, Solti, Fricsay) who helped establish the music of Bela Bartok a place in the modern orchestra repertoire. If his style is less Magyar in nature, Boulez' performances still capture the full range of Bartok's expression: the heady violence and sexuality, the piquant and zesty folk element, and the Debussy derived impressionist languor. Maybe some other exponents of Bartok were better at projecting the composer's sense of mystery, but these performances do not lack atmosphere.The recordings have clarity and a more solid bass than DGG typically has given. Standout performances include the ballets The Wooden Prince, The Miraculous Mandarin, the Violin Concerto no 2, the Concerto for two Pianos and Percussion (orchestral version), and the three Piano Concertos. I prefer the Kocsis performances of the MSPC and the Divertimento, Primrose and Zukerman in the Viola Concerto, and the many heralded performances of the Concerto for Orchestra (Reiner, Kubelik, Bernstein, among others).The accompanying notes are minimal and do not shed new light on individual compositions.

Boulez makes an edition that let is known the orchestral, stage works and violin, cello , piano concertos. This edition is made with devotion about the Compositor. I do disagree about the Bolulez's opinion regarding the position between major composition of XX century. The Bartok's music is different from Schoenberg and Alban Berg composition. I warmly recommend these selection.

CD 1: Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra; Orchestral Pieces, Op.12Four Orchestral Pieces op.12 (Sz 51)1 1. Preludio2 2. Scherzo: allegro3 3. Intermezzo: Moderato4 4. Marcia funebre: MaestosoConcerto for Orchestra, Sz. 1165 1. Introduzione (Andante non troppo - Allegro vivace6 2. Giuoco della coppie (Allegretto scherzando)7 3. Elegia (Andante, non troppo)8 4. Intermezzo interrotto (Allegretto)9 5. Finale (Pesante - Presto)Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Pierre BoulezCD 2: Bartók: Divertimento; Dance Suite; Hungarian Sketches; Two PicturesDance Suite, Sz. 771 1. Moderato2 2. Allegro molto3 3. Allegro vivace4 4. Molto tranquillo5 5. Comodo6 6. Finale (Allegro)2 Pictures, (Op.10) Sz. 467 In voller Blüte8 DorftanzHungarian Sketches, Sz. 979 1. An Evening in the Village10 2. Bear Melody11 3. Melody12 4. Slightly Tipsy13 5. Swineherd's DanceDivertimento for Strings, Sz. 11314 1. Allegro non troppo15 2. Molto adagio16 3. Allegro assaiChicago Symphony Orchestra, Pierre BoulezCD 3: Bartók: Piano Concertos Nos.1 - 3Piano Concerto No.1, BB 91, Sz. 831 1. Allegro moderato - Allegro2 2. Andante3 Allegro - 3. Allegro moltoKrystian Zimerman, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Pierre BoulezPiano Concerto No.2, BB 101, Sz. 954 1. Allegro5 2. Adagio - Più adagio - Presto6 3. Allegro moltoLeif Ove Andsnes, Berliner Philharmoniker, Pierre BoulezPiano Concerto No.3, BB 127, Sz. 1197 1. Allegretto8 2. Adagio religioso9 3. Allegro vivaceHélène Grimaud, London Symphony Orchestra, Pierre BoulezCD 4: Bartók: Concerto for Two Pianos, Percussion and Orchestra; Violin Concerto No.1; Viola ConcertoConcerto for 2 Pianos, Percussion, and Orchestra, Sz.1151 Assai lento - Allegro molto2 Lento ma non troppo3 Allegro ma non troppoPierre-Laurent Aimard, Tamara Stefanovich, Neil Percy, Nigel Thomas, London Symphony Orchestra, Pierre BoulezViolin Concerto No.1 (Op.posth), Sz364 1. Andante sostenuto5 2. Allegro giocosoGidon Kremer, Berliner Philharmoniker, Pierre BoulezConcerto for Viola and Orchestra, op.post.Version: Tibor Serly6 1. Moderato - Lento parlando7 2. Adagio religioso - Allegretto8 3. Allegro vivaceYuri Bashmet, Berliner Philharmoniker, Pierre BoulezCD 5: Bartók: Violin Concerto No.2; Rhapsodies Nos.1 & 2Violin Concerto No.2, Sz.1121 1. Allegro non troppo2 2. Andante tranquillo3 3. Allegro moltoRhapsody No.1 for Violin and Orchestra, Sz. 874 1. Moderato5 2. Allegretto moderatoRhapsody for Violin and Orchestra no.2 Sz 906 1. Lassú: Moderato7 2. Friss: Allegro moderatoGil Shaham, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Pierre BoulezCD 6: Bartók: Bluebeard's CastleBluebeard's Castle, Sz. 48 (Op.11)1 Prologue - Opening Scene. "Megérkeztünk"2 "Ez a Kékszakállú véra?"3 "Nagy csukott ajtókat"4 Door 1. "Jaj!" "Mit látsz? Mit látsz?" "Láncok, kések"5 Door 2. "Mit látsz?" "Százkegyetlen szörnyü fegyver"6 Door 3. "Oh, be sok kincs! Oh, be sok kincs!"7 Door 4. "Oh! virágok! Oh! ilatoskert!"8 Fifth Door. Kékszakállú: "Nézd hogy derül már a váram"9 Door 6. "Csendes fehér tavat látok"10 "Az utolsót nem nyitom ki"11 "Tudom, tudom, Kékszakállú"12 Door 7. "Lásd a régi aszszonyokat"Jessye Norman, László Polgár, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Pierre BoulezCD 7: Bartók: Cantata profana, Sz94; The Wooden Prince, Op.13Cantata Profana, BB.100, Sz.94 - The Nine Splendid Stags1 1. Molto moderato2 2. Andante3 3. ModeratoJohn Aler, John Tomlinson, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Boulez, Chicago Symphony Chorus, Margaret HillisThe Wooden Prince, Sz. 60 (Op.13)4 Introduction5 1st Dance: Dance of the Princess in the Forest6 2nd Dance: Dance of the Trees7 3rd Dance: Dance of the Waves8 4th Dance: Dance of the Princess with the Wooden Doll9 5th Dance: The Princess pulls and tugs at the Wooden Prince and tries to make him dance10 6th Dance: She tries to attract the real Prince with her seductive dancing11 7th Dance: Dismayed, the Princess attempts to hurry after the Prince, but the Forest bars her wayChicago Symphony Orchestra, Pierre BoulezCD 8: Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin, Op.19; Music for Strings, Precussion and Celesta, Sz 106The Miraculous Mandarin, BB 82, Sz. 73 (Op.19)1 Allegro: Introduction2 Moderato: First decoy game3 Second decoy game4 Sostenuto: Third decoy game5 Maestoso: The Mandarin enters6 Allegro: The girl sinks down to embrace him7 Sempre vivo: The tramps leap out8 Adagio: Suddenly the Mandarin's head appears9 Agitato: Again, the frightened tramps discuss how to eliminate the MandarinChicago Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Boulez10 Molto moderato: The body of the Mandarin begins to glow with a greenish blue lightChicago Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Boulez, Chicago Symphony Chorus, Duain Wolfe11 Più mosso - Vivo - She resists no longer, - they embraceMusic for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, Sz. 10612 1. Andante tranquillo13 2. Allegro14 3. Adagio15 4. Allegro moltoChicago Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Boulez

Bartók is rated one of the five best composers of the 20th century by the director of this collection Pierre Boulez. Yet few of his compositions seem to be played by my local (and internet) classical stations. So this helps me listen to Central European first half 20th century influences on Bartók. Excellent box to have for its selections and performances, and to understand this neglected composer.

Excellent recordings.

Yeah, sure - as is nearly always the case with complete cycles such as this one, you could probably find better, 'hotter' performances of nearly all of these works. Even when we narrow our focus on to the Chicago Symphony itself, Fritz Reiner set the standard for Bartok's "Concerto for Orchestra" and "Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste". But what about the "Miraculous Mandarin", "Wooden Prince", or the three wonderful piano concertos of Bartok? As a complete set, Boulez would be awfully tough to beat by any standard.Yeah, I suppose if Philips were to box up all of Ivan Fischer's Bartok, then his would have to receive top kudos. But to the best of my knowledge Fischer hasn't recorded the "Four Orchestral Pieces", the viola concerto, the two violin concertos or "Bluebeard's Castle" (and probably several other lesser works). Even if Boulez strikes some folks as 'too cool' for Bartok's paprika and garlic laced modernism, it would be difficult to find fault with such an illustrious line-up of soloists: Gil Shaham, Kristian Zimmerman, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Helene Grimaud, Yuri Bashmet (viola), Jessye Norman, etc. In short, if you want to collect the orchestral Bartok in a convenient box at a bargain price (albeit with slip-sleaves instead of jewel cases), your ship has just arrived.

Pierre Boulez is one of Europe's most prominent conductors. You can't always recognize that if you don't like his ultra-modern compositional production. However, these are two different things. He is always precise and insightful when interpreting any composer. The Mahler cycle is an excellent example of this. As for Bartok, Bulez does not disappoint his listeners this time either. When the vision is clear and knows how to place its interpretation justifiably in the entire field of Western art music, the listener can at the same time enjoy a fresh vision and reliable certainty. The audience stays in a tuned state and does not have to be afraid of any easy solutions in the style of "over where the fence is lowest".

Altra raccolta che coglie nel segno di un grande protagonista a cavallo di due secoli, ma con una impronta novecentesca spesso rivoluzionaria. Bartok o lo apprezzi o lo disprezzi, non ci sono via di mezzo. Di non facile ascolto e destinato a chi vuole immergersi nei meandri spesso inquietanti di partiture complesse rispecchianti la prima metà del '900 in cui la tradizione viene contaminata da atti audaci di sperimentalismo che poi ha influenzato autori di generi totalmente dalla musica (cf. Frank Zappa) al cinema (cf. Kubrick). 8 Cds tra pezzi orchestrali e operistici di intensità massima e schietta. Boulez grandioso come sempre si dimostra quando si avvicina a pietre miliari da Bartok, Stravinsky, Ravel e Debussy fino a Varese. Il gran finale con la indimenticabile "Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta" ispiratrice, tra l'altro, del miglior Stanley Kubrick!

Outstanding set of recordings by Boulez and 3 of the best orchestras on the planet - Chicago, Berlin, and London. The precision of the playing is remarkable, and as we know, Boulez was a perfectionist with a concrete vision of any work he approached. I find his tempi, phrasing, and rhythmic decisiveness assist in clearly articulating Bartók's structures. Highly recommended for any Bartók enthusiast.

The artistic and audio quality of these recordings is excellent and I recommend this set highly.

ブーレーズがニューヨーク・フィルとBBC交響楽団を指揮した全集を持っていたが、新しいものが欲しくなって購入。初めて聴いた狂詩曲も含め、予想以上の素晴らしさに感激しました。