Pantomime in One Act by Melchior Lengyel (1880-1974)
London Voices
Terry Edwards director
1.
A shabby room in the slums –
3:34
2.
First decoy game –
4:18
3.
Second decoy game –
3:34
4.
Third decoy game –
4:00
5.
The girl is undecided –
4:37
6.
The passion of the Mandarin is finally roused –
5:07
7.
Suddenly the Mandarin's head appears between
4:24
the pillows –
8.
The Mandarin's body begins to glow with a greenish-
2:17
blue light –
9.
The Mandarin falls to the floor and at once leaps at
2:33
the girl
Concerto for Orchestra, BB 123 (1943, revised 1945)
40:35
10.
1
Introduzione. Andante non troppo - Allegro vivace
10:18
11.
II
Giuoco delle coppie. Allegretto scherzando
6:36
12.
III
Elegia. Andante, non troppo
8:44
13.
IV
Intermezzo interrotto. Allegretto
4:35
14.
V
Finale. Pesante - Presto
10:05
Total time: 75:16
Orchestra: Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Conductor:Neeme Järvi
27 and 30 30 April 1990 (The Wooden Prince, Hungarian Pictures)
3 and 4 September 1990 (Concerto for Orchestra)
17 and 18 October 1990 (The Miraculous Mandarin)
Notes
This ‘2for1’ reissue brings together the best performances by Neeme Järvi of the music by Bartók, taken from his extraordinarily prolific recording career with Chandos Records. The four works span Bartók career and include some of the greatest music he ever wrote.
The Concerto for Orchestra has remained one of Bartók’s most popular orchestral works since its triumphant premiere in 1944. Its title signals that each section of instruments is treated in a soloistic and virtuoso way. According to Bartók himself, ‘the general mood of the work represents, apart from the jesting second movement, a gradual transition from the sternness of the first movement and the lugubrious death-song of the third, to the life-assertion of the last one’.
The ballet The Miraculous Mandarin is heard here in its complete form. Set in a seedy urban underworld, it tells the tale of a prostitute, the three thugs that control her, and their mysterious encounter with the eponymous Mandarin. In portraying this scenario Bartók creates an astonishingly vivid score with some of the most colourful music he ever wrote.
The Wooden Prince, an earlier ballet, could not on the surface be further from The Miraculous Mandarin. Lacking its daring modernism, it instead shows the influence of Debussy, Strauss, and Wagner. However, its outwardly sunny character obscures a strange and surreal undertone.
The Hungarian Pictures are skilful and imaginative orchestrations made in 1931 of five earlier piano pieces. Each with its own distinct character, these pieces give the impression of being an authentic folksong arrangement, although this is true only of the last of the five.
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Reviews
“… an enjoyable collection …”
James H North - Fanfare - January/February 2015
"..The much later Hungarian Pictures (1931) is full of bright colors and responds well to Jarvi’s extroverted approach Jarvi’s attention to structure plays big dividends in the finale [Concerto for Orchestra]. Transitions are clear, the counterpoint balanced, and the ending is full and bold. I like this performance ..."
Roger Hecht - American Record Guide - November/December 2014
***** - Exceptional
Frederico Bianchessi - Musica magazine Italy - October 2014
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