Stephen Kovacevich and Colin Davis' Philips recordings of Bartók's piano concertos are contenders for top honors in an already crowded field. Kovacevich was young and hungry when these recordings were taped in 1968 (No. 2) and 1975 (Nos. 1 and 3), and his performances are fiery in the extreme. From his slightly earlier Beethoven sonata recordings for EMI, Kovacevich was already celebrated as a virtuoso, but nothing could have prepared listeners for the sheer force of his playing here. There's nothing in these immensely ...
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Stephen Kovacevich and Colin Davis' Philips recordings of Bartók's piano concertos are contenders for top honors in an already crowded field. Kovacevich was young and hungry when these recordings were taped in 1968 (No. 2) and 1975 (Nos. 1 and 3), and his performances are fiery in the extreme. From his slightly earlier Beethoven sonata recordings for EMI, Kovacevich was already celebrated as a virtuoso, but nothing could have prepared listeners for the sheer force of his playing here. There's nothing in these immensely difficult works Kovacevich can't toss off with panache, and he tears into them with undisguised gusto. His flair for bravura playing is offset by equal soulfulness in the central movements. Davis, who had already delivered outstanding recordings of Mozart, Stravinsky, and Tippet on Argo, turns in accompaniments for Bartók that are fully supportive of Kovacevich but also interesting, even arresting, on their own. With the BBC Symphony in No. 2 and the London Symphony Orchestra in Nos. 1...
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Add this copy of Bartk: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-3 to cart. $21.20, good condition, Sold by LeifBooks rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Georgetown, CO, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Philips.
Add this copy of Bartók: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-3 to cart. $39.99, new condition, Sold by BMC1701 rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Norwalk, IA, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Philips.
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