The two principal works on this SACD were written in 1936 and 1939 respectively for Paul Sacher and his Basel Chamber Orchestra and have long been recognised as two of Bartok’s supreme orchestral masterpieces. Though not as often heard in the concert hall as one might wish, these works have been very well served on disc, and to anyone surveying the discography over the past 60 years of the ‘Music for Strings Percussion and Celesta’ it will be apparent that most, though not all, of the finest interpretations emanate from Hungarian born conductors - Eugene Ormandy, Antal Dorati, Georg Solti, Ivan Fischer and the incomparable Fritz Reiner - to name just a few. Zoltán Kocsis can now be added to this distinguished list with this most recommendable issue in Hungaraton’s valuable and authoritative ‘ Bartok New Series’ that will eventually comprise a total 31 hybrid SACDs.

The scoring of ‘Music for Strings Percussion and Celesta’ is for two groups of strings ranged either side of percussion instruments that include side-drum, snare-drum, cymbals, tam-tam, bass drum, timpani and xylophone, with celesta, harp and piano. A good recording of the work should provide clear aural pointers as to the exact location of the percussion instruments as well as the antiphonal exchanges between the two string groups and in that respect this version is outstanding. Like Mackerras on Linn, Kocsis conducts the chamber-sized orchestra for which the work was written, but crucially uses 44 strings (the accompanying booklet lists each of the players by name) instead of Mackerras’s 34, and what a difference that makes. The string sound has more body, the separation between the two string groups is more defined and the antiphonal exchanges between them more striking in this recording, while the percussion parts are played more incisively and given greater presence by the recording.

The first movement that begins with a slow chromatic melody on muted violas is marked ‘Andante tranquillo’ and though Kocsis’s fast tempo may to some extent ignore the ‘tranquillo’ marking, it does avoid the lethargy evident in some other recordings. Kocsis captures the restless fluidity of the music and unerringly builds it inexorably to its massive unison E flat climax. Both the dynamic second and fourth movements are played with exhilarating energy by the fine players of Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, while the third, an example of Bartok’s ‘night music’, combines the necessary eeriness with crystal clear presence.
The Divertimento receives an equally trenchant performance thanks to the thrilling playing from the string players of the Hungarian National Orchestra who have this music in their blood. True, the playing does lack a little of the refinement that is to be found on the recording of this work by the Trondheim Soloists Divertimenti - TrondheimSolistene, but it has an engagingly rustic quality and driving energy that is most persuasive.

The five ‘Hungarian Sketches’, transcribed by Bartok from various piano pieces, could hardly sound more characterful and idiomatic than in Kocsis’s performances. The conductor brilliantly evokes the many different moods in these short pieces from the tranquillity of ‘Evening in Transylvania’ to the broad humour of ‘Slightly Tipsy’. The performance of latter even makes Reiner’s sound strait-laced.

All the recordings were made in October 2008 in the Palace of Arts, Budapest and although the balance is, in general, pretty close there is no lack of spaciousness or warm ambience to the sound. Excellent detailed and informative notes, that include some interesting photographs of the composer in the 1930s, complete this marvellous release.

Copyright © 2010 Graham Williams and HRAudio.net

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