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64 of 68 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
With one of the largest back catalogues in the business, why did Decca choose these 1981 recordings of Bartok for reissue? It's simply because they haven't been bettered, and I don't believe they ever will: During its time under the exacting Georg Solti the Chicago Symphony Orchestra attained a position as a world-class band, bearing easily all comparisons with Berlin and Vienna. When conducting Hungarian music Solti, who had been a pupil of Bartok's, always demonstrated a special authority. This shines through in the precision, eloquence and sheer expressiveness of these performances.
The Decca sound engineers of the time were the best in the business and they were well placed to take advantage when the new digital recording technology came along. It's hard to believe, listening today, that this would have been one of the earliest commercial pressings using the technique. Their trick was to capture the full power of the orchestra, whilst allowing individual instruments to be heard in their natural positions and at a believable dynamic - "close miking", with its unnatural sound levels in the quiet passages, was never detectable. The relationship between the instruments, both spatially and in volume, always sounded so authentic, but no detail was ever missed. Sadly, modern recordings just aren't as good!
I was happy to pay full price for these CDs when they first came out. Now you get both of them together as a mid-price offering. What are you waiting for?
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Georg Solti was a wonderful interpreter of Bartok as a conductor (though a dreadful one as a pianist!) All of these recordings are from late in his career, I think the earliest is from 1980. You will hear some so called experts say his LSO recordings from the 1960s are better, don't listen. Hearing these recordings, it is as if Solti's entire life experience of conducting these masterpieces has been distilled into that moment. Essential.
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I bought this on the strength of a 'loan' vinyl copy of the Concerto for Orchestra. I was attracted to this version as it was Sir George & CSR. I initially found the other pieces on this 2CD set hard going - slightly too avant garde for my tastes. However, persistance paid off and once I became more familiar, I realised what masterpieces they are.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Powerfully expressive performances
Like the famous RCA stereo recording of Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta by Fritz Reiner, Solti also captures the mysterious atmosphere and the barbaric energy of the music... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Scriabinmahler
Excellent Decca double
The Solti Bartok orchestral recordings are truly excellent. These recordings will be around for a long long time for the simple reason they are expertly played with lots of... Read more
Published on 4 Jan 2010 by zargb5
Every one of these pieces is a masterpiece
I came to these pieces from the string quartets expecting music of similar difficulty, but it would seem that Bartok reserved the quartet as his most experimental medium. Read more
Published on 8 Nov 2008 by John Ferngrove
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