Bartok - Concerto for Orchestra - Leopold Stokowski (2LP, 45 tours, 200g)
Bela Bartok - Concerto for Orchestra in F minor, Sz. 116, BB 123
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Leopold Stokowski, conductor
2 LP, Stoughton Printing tip-on old style original jacket artwork and Everest Records-branded jacket
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 200g
Record color : black
Speed : 45 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : Quality Record Pressings
Label : Classic Records (now part of Analogue Productions)
Original Label : Everest
Remastered by Bernie Grundman
Originally released in 1961
Tracks:
Side A:
- Introduzione; Andante Non Troppo; Allegro Vivace
- Allegro Scherzando
Side B:
- Elegia: Andante, Non Troppo
- Intermezzo; Interotto; Allegretto
Side C:
- Bartok: Concerto For Orchestra
- Finale: Presto
Side D (repeat of Side A):
- Introduzione; Andante Non Troppo; Allegro Vivace
- Allegro Scherzando
Reviews:
“Leopold Stokowski leads a vibrant and colorful Bartók Concerto for Orchestra, emphasizing the work’s dramatic impetus while highlighting the music’s atmospheric contrasts, particularly so in the Introduction and Elegia. The interpretation is free from the peculiar editorial retouchings the conductor was wont to employ, and the music emerges pretty much as written (the change from triplets to fluttering flute notes in the Introduction notwithstanding). Stokowski draws alert and energized playing from the Houston Symphony, which really stirs things up in the finale, even if it doesn’t match the muscularity of the New York Philharmonic for Bernstein or the polish of the Boston Symphony for Kubelik.
Of greater interest is Kodály’s rarely recorded Psalmus hungaricus, made even rarer in this case by the English translation, which luckily fits easily into the composer’s vocal settings. Raymond Nilsson’s beefy tenor voice authoritatively intones the text, joined by the similarly enthused London Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra under Janos Ferencsik’s persuasive conducting. The remastered Everest recordings offer clarity and presence, with some dynamic limitation.” Victor Carr Jr, Classics Today
“Grateful as I am that Countdown Media Group is bringing back the Everest catalog, previous reissue labels have been a little more generous in terms of disc timing. Mind you, this series is mastered for iTunes and the physical discs from Amazon.com are cheap, but I can't imagine the average collector filling their shelves with these albums. That said, some of them have genuine historical importance, including the programs that document Stokowski's work in Houston.
Aside from the Old Man's lobotomy of a Carmina Burana, the conductor's work on Everest is basically normal music making. Okay, those Houston Wagner discs are also bizarre, but in a "I can't believe he managed to get his orchestra to make such amazing sounds while being so weird" kind of way. Otherwise, the Strauss and Tchaikovsky discs (with what is essentially the New York Philharmonic in disguise) are fabulous, and this Bartók Concerto for Orchestra is also very fine. Typically, the harps sound huge, and there are a few other balance issues. Otherwise, the conductor pretty much sticks to the score, and if the results don't blow you away, they will continually impress. While not the greatest recording of the work ever made, this still stands as a tribute to both orchestra and conductor. Try it, because you just might like it.” Brian Wigman, Classical Net
Ratings :
Discogs : 3,96 / 5