Fritz Reiner's friendship with Béla Bartók must be considered an important factor in the creation of these legendary recordings. Koussevitsky's famous commission for the Concerto for orchestra was due in large part to Reiner's advocacy, and he was among the first conductors to both perform and record this masterpiece. Beyond this, Reiner's great sympathy for his friend's work extends to the care and attention to detail he gave to the works included here. For all its virtuosity, the concerto is structurally symphonic, and ...
Read More
Fritz Reiner's friendship with Béla Bartók must be considered an important factor in the creation of these legendary recordings. Koussevitsky's famous commission for the Concerto for orchestra was due in large part to Reiner's advocacy, and he was among the first conductors to both perform and record this masterpiece. Beyond this, Reiner's great sympathy for his friend's work extends to the care and attention to detail he gave to the works included here. For all its virtuosity, the concerto is structurally symphonic, and Reiner ensures that the music formally coheres. He goes under the dazzling surface to touch the tragic core of the work and draws a deeply moving performance from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The Music for strings, percussion, and celesta is even more splendidly performed and recorded, and is arguably the finest recording Reiner ever made of Bartók's music. For intensity and precision, this performance has never been surpassed. The Hungarian Sketches, a lighter piece than either of...
Read Less
Portions of content provided by Rovi Corporation. © 2022 Rovi Corporation.