Bartók: The Piano Concertos [CD]

Whoever had the idea to have a noted Bartók conductor, Pierre Boulez, record all three of the Bartók piano concertos, using a different soloist and orchestra for each one, should get a medal. Not only were the three soloists picked carefully (or, at least I imagine that's the case; who knows, maybe they were picked by playing paper/scissors/stone!) but the style of each of the three was matched, more or less, to the sound produced by three of the world's greatest orchestras.

The lineup is this: Krystian Zimerman and the Chicago Symphony for No. 1; Leif Ove Andsnes and the Berlin Philharmonic for No. 2; and Hélène Grimaud and the London Symphony for No. 3. In the muscular No. 1 both the sound of Zimerman and the Chicago are perfect. Zimerman, not a pianist who is generally thought of as a brio player, is more than capable of the almost brutal style required in that first concerto, and of course the Chicago is a match made in heaven with their incredible brass and incisive strings. Andsnes is also a brilliant player but he has a slightly rounder tone in his performance, and that's precisely what is needed. Although the Second is similar to the First, it has more lyrical moments and much greater thematic distinction. Andsnes molds his part masterfully. But best of all is the playing of the BPO. In this concerto there is much that would remind one of the middle-period, more mature Bartók: less brutality, more mystery. Think of the string writing in, say, 'Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta' and you will have an idea of what I mean. The Berlin strings shimmer.

Bartók was dying when he wrote the Third and indeed it had to be finished by his student, Tibor Serly, who also finished the wonderful viola concerto. It was Bartók's legacy for his wife, soon to be his widow, Ditta Pasztory, herself a pianist. He died more or less penniless in New York and he wrote it for her to play in order to make some money after his death. I don't know, frankly, whether she did tour with it; I don't recall ever hearing. It is altogether more romantic, more tuneful (and, in the end, more popular) than the other two. Who better than Grimaud to play it? There have been many fine recordings of this concerto -- one of my favorites is that of Geza Anda, who recorded all three concerti; another is that by Martha Argerich -- but Grimaud is in that fine company. Her playing is marked by grace, tensile strength coupled with fluid phrasing, delicacy and a marvelous legato. In all three concerti Boulez has definite ideas which he is able to communicate to each orchestra involved.

This one is a winner.

TT=76:30

Scott Morrison

It's interesting to observe the evolution of the playing of Bartok's Piano Concertos since its first recordings. When we hear the old performances of Geza Anda and Ferenc Fricsay we can feel the difficulty they had to manage the changes of tempi and,at this time, the coordination between soloist and orchestra was very problematic . As the first two Piano Concertos of Bartok are among the most interesting concertos of all time, the story of its performances is of great importance. One recording that changed consistently the way of playing Bartok's Concertos was the one of the first and the second concertos with Claudio Abbado and Maurizio Pollini (DG- 1979) .Twenty Six years after, with this new integral of the Three Concertos, we can feel one new improvement, specially in the performance of the First. Zimmerman and Boulez are superb in every measure of this fascinating music. I never heard before all these terrible changes of tempi and these complicated rhythms so well done. Al the accents of the soloist are echoed by the instruments of the orchestra. The "acellerandi" in the first and the third movements are a miracle of clarity .I have no difficulty to say that this is the best recording of the Bartok's First Piano Concerto I ever heard , even when compared with that of Abbado and Pollini and that with Boulez and Barenboin.
The second Concerto is very well recorded too. Leif Ove Andsnes is one excellent Pianist.But we can't avoid to compare . He isn't a pianist so perfect as Zimerman is. But his reading of this difficult work is very interesting too. After a First Movement played in a cautious way we have a surprise: the central part of the second movement is played with a fire and energy, and with a irresistible precision .Not even Abbado and Pollini, in this specific moment , went so far , in terms of clarity .And the Third movement is played entirely in this way. One surprise: the accelerandos of the timpani at ms. 74 and 140 begin with a tremendous ritardando. I have never heard like this before, but the idea is excellent .If the Brass of the Chicago Symphony are the orchestral stars of the First Concerto, the timpanist of the Berliner Philhramoniker is the orchestral star of this Second Concerto.
After hearing these wonderful works , the Third Piano Concerto sounds a little deceiving . The simplicity of the writing can be explained by the special moment of the life of the composer. I believe that the Third Concerto is a good work, but when one hears this work after the two precedents,it is really desolator. Helene Grimaud plays this lyrical work with an elegant sonority. But she doesn't help too much to erase this impression. May be the recording with Zoltan Kocsis (Philipps) is the only one really convincing of this work. But even this weaker part of this CD has its preciosities: the Night Music of the second movement has one splendid balance of dynamic (specially between the piano and the xylophone) and the French pianist plays the Religious Choral with a fine sonority. Three Orchestras, three Pianists. Two kind of Concertos ( The No 1 and No 2 x the No 3). But the unity of this excellent CD is the clarity and rhythmic energy of Mr. Boulez. The miracle you will find in the performance of the First Concerto. But all the CD deserve to be heard with attention. You will discover a lot of magnificent details.

Some years ago I read Pierre Boulez was thinking about recording Bartok's Piano Concertos, in that moment I thought it could be a good collection but not really so great like finally it is. I have to say that in a first moment I had news of a recording with Krystian Zimerman for the three concerts; when I knew Andsnes and Grimaud were involved I thought it could be not so great like if Zimerman alone plays all. I was wrong again in my thoughts; Andsnes and Grimaud give them best and that's really very much.

First of all I have to mention the fact of there are three orchestras and three pianists, all wonderful musicians, like the three outstanding orchestras. It could be a problem for unifying the cycle, but we have a great conductor too, Pierre Boulez, a really specialist master in XXth Century and modern music, who have a very long relation with Bartok's music, as we can listen in his recordings for CBS and now with the outstanding new cycle for DG (that will be followed by his new recordings of Violin Concert Nş1 and Viola Concert, both of them with Berlin and very close to be released). The three concertos are really different between them in essence, the First and Second much more modern and aggressive and the Third much more "classical", lyrical and popular, much more easy to be listened. It's the way of a composer with a life not easy at all, who have lost his own lie in his country and who have to compose in order to survive. This could be a reason for understand the style of the Third concerto; a concerto that could be very far of Boulez's tastes but conducted full of style and charm by the French conductor. In fact, this piano series comes from a very hard and aggressive beginning in number One and decrease in that presence until the Third. Boulez is able to control that changing of style and the complete recording seems to be done with the pianist together discussing dynamics, style, tempi, technical possibilities...

Choosing the orchestras for this recordings it's not easy and Boulez did it really great. The First Concerto is played by an orchestra really full of presence and a very strong personality, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; which percussion and metal section is able to play exactly the style Bartok asks for this piece, very percussive and strong. Zimerman, of course, is a guarantee, as he is really one of the better pianist of our time, ¿the better one?, and he know Bartok's language. I heard him some years ago in A Coruña (Spain), playing this same First Concerto with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia, under Victor Pablo Perez baton, and was amazed by his deep understanding of the work. Like in that concert, all is wonderfully done in this CD, specially the second movement, an Andante that remembers to me the Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion. The crystal-clear playing and conducting makes this movement quite impossible to repeat, a wonder. I know another very, very good recording played by Pollini and Abbado with the same orchestra. The Abbado's conducting is more aggressive and fiery, but not so technical and controlled like Boulez's one. Both are outstanding recordings. Like other reviewer wrote, Abbado opened a way and Boulez marks a developing in that way, a wonderful pair, anyway.

The Second Concerto is a beautiful surprise to me, as I've never heard Andsnes playing Bartok and I'm really amazed by the way he plays, WODERFULLY done every note, every phrase, every dynamic, tempo, pedal's use, echoes, rhythm... Again we have an incredible second movement which remembers to me Charles Ives very, very much in the way it's played, perfect done by the Berliner, with amazing strings and drums. I love the playing of all the orchestras, but I could say the Berliner Philharmoniker could be the best, simply listen it to believe. In this concert, a bit more lyrical than the First, but both in a similar style, Boulez shows a heart some people have doubts about if existed.

And this hearts sings opened in the Third Concerto, with the smooth London Symphony Orchestra and a very lyrical and perfect Helen Grimaud, who plays really beautiful in this last chapter, a very poetic piece with moments of really nostalgia of the lost days and of the lost land. Boulez understand the piece in the very right way, as it's technically well done and he don't lose at all the essence of that feelings, necessary for the piece be complete. Of course there's not the percussive piano you can listen in the first and second concertos, but Grimaud give her best in any moment and sometimes with an aggressive style if it's required. Another wonderful surprise listening her in this repertoire.

The recordings are very, very good, clean and well processed. The balance is marvellous and all the sections are perfect caught by the DG engineers.

Nowadays I have no doubts about this is my favourite CD for this Concertos, wonderful versions for some of the key works of Bartok, according with Boulez's words. Pollini / CSO / Abbado (DG) could be another possibility, very close in style and outstanding too.