Solti Conducts Bartók (7-CD)

Discs: 7
Record Label: London
Release Date: October 16, 2012

“It is a sound such as I have never heard reproduced before . . . [it has] an authentic Hungarian bite and point which, alongside Chicago virtuosity, is unbeatable.” — Gramophone

Sir Georg Solti was a musician of extraordinarily wide musical interests and sympathies — no doubt one of the most important conductors of the second half of the twentieth century. His legacy is immortalized in hundreds of albums, including the works of Bela Bartók presented here. Recorded over a span of forty years with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra and Budapest Festival Orchestra, these recordings demonstrate Solti’s dedication to his Hungarian roots and his affinity for the music of his fatherland.

Sir Georg Solti was an exclusive Decca recording artist from 1947 until his death in 1997.

Contents:

Bartók Concerto for Orchestra
January 1981, Orchestra Hall, Chicago

Bartók Dance Suite
January 1981, Orchestra Hall, Chicago

Bartók Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta
November 1989, Orchestra Hall, Chicago

Bartók The Miraculous Mandarin, Op. 19, Suite
1989–1990, Orchestra Hall, Chicago

Bartók Divertimento for String Orchestra
February 1990, Orchestra Hall Chicago

Bartók Hungarian Sketches
November 1993, Orchestra Hall, Chicago

Bartók Roumanian Folk Dances
November 1993, Orchestra Hall, Chicago

Bartók Cantata profana (The 9 Splendid Stags)
Tamas Daroczy tenor
Alexandru Agache baritone
Budapest Festival Orchestra
Choir of Hungarian Radio & TV
June 1997, Italian Institute, Budapest

Bartók Piano Concerto No. 1
Vladimir Ashkenazy piano
London Philharmonic Orchestra
August 1981, Kingsway Hall, London

Bartók Piano Concerto No. 2
Vladimir Ashkenazy piano
London Philharmonic Orchestra
March 1979, Kingsway Hall, London

Bartók Piano Concerto No. 3
Vladimir Ashkenazy piano
London Philharmonic Orchestra
February 1978, Kingsway Hall, London

Bartók Violin Concerto No. 1
Kyung-Wha Chung violin
October 1983, Orchestra Hall, Chicago

Bartók Violin Concerto No. 2
Kyung-Wha Chung violin
London Philharmonic Orchestra
February 1976, Kingsway Hall, London

Bartók Bluebeard’s Castle
Istvan Sztankay narrator
Sylvia Sass soprano
Kolos Kovats bass
London Philharmonic Orchestra
March 1979, Kingsway Hall, London

Kodály Dances of Galánta
London Philharmonic Orchestra
November 1952, Kingsway Hall, London

Kodály Variations on a Hungarian Folk Song (The Peacock)
London Philharmonic Orchestra
April–May 1954, Kingsway Hall, London

Kodály Háry János Suite
London Philharmonic Orchestra
February 1955, Kingsway Hall, London

Weiner Serenade for Small Orchestra, Op. 3
Budapest Festival Orchestra
June 1997, Italian Institute, Budapest

Bartók Dance Suite
London Philharmonic Orchestra
November 1952, Kingsway Hall, London

Bartók Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta
London Philharmonic Orchestra
February 1955, Kingsway Hall, London

Kodály Psalmus Hungaricus, Op. 13 (English Translation)
William McAlpine tenor
London Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir
April–May 1954

Weiner Prinz Csongor und die Kobolde (Prince Csongor and the Goblins), Introduction and Scherzo
November 1993, Orchestra Hall, Chicago