# Okay, seriously Bartok kicks A$$



## dcoscina (Jun 18, 2009)

I attended a concert last night in which Bartok's Dance Suite and Concerto for Two Pianos and Percussion were performed by the TSO. Fantastic performances (Emmanuel Ax was one of the pianists) but the intro piece, Dance Suite knocked me on my arse. For some reason I had never heard that piece before and found it completely amazing. What was even more interesting is that I heard a lot of film score quotes in there- I never realized the impact Bartok's music has had on several film composers. Ennio Morricone, Alex North, Jerry Goldsmith and John Williams among others have all applied Bartok's sense of linear clarity and harmonic writing (especially the emphasis of quartal harmony). 

Gotta say, next to Prokofiev, Bela Bartok is my fave from the 20th century. 

The programme also featured Richard Strauss' Burlesque but while I enjoyed his orchestration, I found the writing very predictable. For some reason, his harmonic motion and resolutions just do not do much for me, while Mahler just amazes me.


----------



## Nick Batzdorf (Jun 18, 2009)

Yup, he's a bad mutha watch your mouth I'm only talking about Shaft.

I'm sure you know my favorite: Music for Strings, Celeste, and Percussion?

After the first time I heard it - in conducting class at Berklee - the teacher George Monsieur said, "Is everyone all right?"


----------



## Ashermusic (Jun 18, 2009)

The Bartok string quartets are simply amazing.


----------



## dcoscina (Jun 18, 2009)

Nick Batzdorf @ Thu Jun 18 said:


> Yup, he's a bad mutha watch your mouth I'm only talking about Shaft.
> 
> I'm sure you know my favorite: Music for Strings, Celeste, and Percussion?
> 
> After the first time I heard it - in conducting class at Berklee - the teacher George Monsieur said, "Is everyone all right?"



thanks to Stanley Kubrick's incessant use of the 2nd mvmt in The Shining, I will always associate this piece with crazy Jack Nicholson. And those damn twins- _"Hello Danny....come and play with us....forever.....and forever.....and forever_."


----------



## Nick Batzdorf (Jun 18, 2009)

Jay: si bueno. The movement when he goes from pizz to arco without you knowing even when you're listening for it is great.


----------



## The_Juggler (Jun 18, 2009)

bartok used to drink alcohol before composing, i read in a biography of his long time ago


----------



## Nick Batzdorf (Jun 18, 2009)

I always drink before reading biographies of Bartok.


----------



## rgames (Jun 18, 2009)

Ashermusic @ Thu Jun 18 said:


> The Bartok string quartets are simply amazing.


+1

There's a really nice hard-bound version of the scores for all of them: http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/The-String-Quartets-of-Bela-Bartok-Complete/4084272 (http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/The ... te/4084272)

I've had it for a while and it's filled with scribbles and page flags....

rgames


----------



## MettaAudio (Jun 18, 2009)

Concerto for Orchestra is for me the piece de resistance. No matter how many times I listen to it, I just can't get enough.


----------



## Dave Connor (Jun 18, 2009)

Very unique and important composer who remains modern no matter what. A real original and yes much quoted by many of the great film composers.


----------



## Evan Gamble (Jun 18, 2009)

MettaAudio @ Thu Jun 18 said:


> Concerto for Orchestra is for me the piece de resistance. No matter how many times I listen to it, I just can't get enough.



Yeah I sorta stole a mini-copy of this score from my school library. :lol: Bartok's the man.


----------



## The_Juggler (Jun 19, 2009)

Bartok loved japanse art, maybe he got influenced by that culture and of course he used to drink before composing


----------



## david robinson (Jun 19, 2009)

Bela Bartok always did, and always will, KICK ARSE.
One thing i like in Concerto For Orchestra are the voice-leading "in-jokes" he uses.
mainly in the mid-range instruments, like violas.
he deliberately uses very questionable note movement.
The String Quartets are from another planet, obviously, which i'm sure he visited once in a while.
Pity the Americans didn't realize how great a talent they had in their midst in the early 40's. 
Unfortunately they were listening to Copland instead, and Bela died in virtual poverty.
I've met Mr Copland, btw.
All things considered, I would have rather had a talk with Mr Bartok.
Davis Robinson.


----------



## bryla (Jun 19, 2009)

Bartok's da man! I just started analyzing Concerto for Orchestra, it's a lot of fun and a lot of things to learn from it. I just love everything he has done  I'm a fan.
David: what do you mean about in-jokes?


----------



## nikolas (Jun 19, 2009)

I love Bartok.


----------



## david robinson (Jun 19, 2009)

[quote:2a2d06e73d=ò Þ   ¤t Þ   ¤u Þ   ¤v Þ   ¤w Þ   ¤x Þ   ¤y Þ   ¤z Þ   ¤{ Þ   ¤| Þ   ¤} Þ   ¤~ Þ   ¤ Þ   ¤€ Þ   ¤ Þ   ¤‚ Þ   ¤ƒ Þ   ¤„ Þ   ¤… Þ   ¤† Þ   ¤‡ Þ   ¤ˆ Þ   ¤‰ Þ   ¤Š Þ   ¤‹ Þ   ¤Œ Þ   ¤ Þ   ¤Ž Þ   ¤ Þ   ¤ Þ   ¤‘ Þ   ¤’ Þ   ¤“ Þ   ¤” Þ   ¤• Þ   ¤– Þ   ¤— Þ   ¤˜ Þ   ¤™ Þ   ¤š Þ   ¤› Þ   ¤œ Þ   ¤ Þ   ¤ž Þ   ¤Ÿ Þ   ¤  Þ   ¤¡ Þ   ¤¢ Þ   ¤£ Þ   ¤¤ Þ   ¤¥ Þ   ¤¦ Þ   ¤§ Þ   ¤¨ Þ   ¤© Þ   ¤ª Þ   ¤« Þ   ¤¬ Þ   ¤­ Þ   ¤® Þ   ¤¯ Þ   ¤° Þ   ¤± Þ   ¤² Þ   ¤³ Þ   ¤´ Þ   ¤µ Þ   ¤¶ Þ   ¤· Þ   ¤¸ Þ   ¤¹ Þ   ¤º Þ   ¤» Þ   ¤¼ Þ   ¤½ Þ   ¤¾ Þ   ¤¿ Þ   ¤À Þ   ¤Á Þ   ¤Â Þ   ¤Ã Þ   ¤Ä Þ   ¤Å Þ   ¤Æ Þ   ¤Ç Þ   ¤È Þ   ¤É Þ   ¤Ê Þ   ¤Ë Þ   ¤Ì Þ   ¤Í Þ   ¤Î Þ   ¤Ï Þ   ¤Ð Þ   ¤Ñ Þ   ¤Ò Þ   ¤Ó Þ   ¤Ô Þ


----------



## SergeD (Jun 19, 2009)

Concerto for Orchestra is on my favorite ones. At the first time hearing the introduction I had a very strange feeling of being in a valley surrounded by high rock walls. His music is very evocative. Not sure but it was his last work before dying in poverty. Of course now is dead he's selling enough to have a decent living... 

SergeD


----------



## Evan Gamble (Jun 19, 2009)

One fun thing I do sometimes is walk by his apartment building near Columbus Circle, and look at a plaque there. He was getting some fame right before he passed, though obviously never got to see how popular he would become.


----------



## SergeD (Jun 19, 2009)

david robinson @ Fri Jun 19 said:


> 3rd Piano Concerto was the piece.



Or maybe Concerto was his last creation performed by an orchestra ?

Funny as last day listening Caravanserai from Santana and today reminding the Concerto they inject complete opposite feelings. 

SergeD


----------



## Nickie Fønshauge (Jun 20, 2009)

You all might want to consider reading

*Ernö Lendvai:
Béla Bartók - An Analysis of his Music
Kahn & Averill, London
ISBN 1 871082 75 7
ISBN 978 1 871082 75 3*

Great little book for Bartók lovers.


----------



## dcoscina (Jun 20, 2009)

I love the folk theme that comes up in the Third Mvmnt of his Concerto for Orchestra. It's beautiful. But then again, there are lovely moments in The Wooden Prince as welòt   ¤Í†t   ¤Í‡t   ¤Íˆt   ¤Í‰t   ¤ÍŠt   ¤Í‹t   ¤ÍŒt   ¤Ít   ¤ÍŽt   ¤Ít   ¤Ít   ¤Í‘t   ¤Í’t   ¤Í“t   ¤Í”t   ¤Í•t   ¤Í–t   ¤Í—t   ¤Í˜t   ¤Í™t   ¤Íšt   ¤Í›t   ¤Íœt   ¤Ít   ¤Ížt   ¤ÍŸt   ¤Í


----------



## The_Juggler (Jun 20, 2009)

Bartok loved soccer


----------



## lee (Jun 20, 2009)

Are you a bot, Juggler?


----------



## chimuelo (Jun 22, 2009)

Bartok is definately an amazing composer.
I love his Piano works more than the Orchestral stuff.
Orchestral scores were awesome but I always prefered string arrangements of a more romantic flavor.
Keith Emerson's solo works and even his ELP compositions were a prime example of a heavy Bartok influence.
I have trouble finding any Bartok or Wagner concerts where I live and way too many standard entry level concerts like Haydn and Verdi..that's mostly college functions though.
I really miss the Chicago and St.Louis Symphonies where I could see Leonard Slatkin or Joel Revzen and hear Wagner, Ravel, Bartok, Gershwin and other larger orchestrations.


----------



## stevenson-again (Jun 30, 2009)

ooo - nobody has mentioned the miraculous mandarin. one of my all time favourite works - its right up there la sacre:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fTdmkhAsE4

this is actually a really tame performance. if you want something with balls i can recommend philharmonia. make sure you get past the clarinet solo and listen to them one they start dove tailing and then go into rhythmic octave gestures. it doesn;t come over very well in this video. trust me - if you don't know it, get a good recording and play it back loud with the lights out. bring clean tissues.


----------



## dcoscina (Jun 30, 2009)

Actually, the Pierre Boulez reading is great as is Charles Dutoit's. Sir George Solti was a premier interpreter of Bartok's and was around when the composer was still alive.


----------

