Béla Bartók; Claude Debussy - Sonatas for 2 Pianos & Percussion; En blanc et noir (Martha Argerich; Stephen Kovacevich)

Information

Composer: Béla Bartók; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Claude Debussy

• (01) Bartók - Sonata for two Pianos and Percussion, BB 115 (Sz 110)
• (04) Mozart - Andante with five variations in G major for piano duet, K 501
• (10) Debussy - En blanc et noir
• (13) Bartók - Out of Doors, BB 99 (Sz 81)
• (18) Bartók - Sonatina

Martha Argerich & Stephen Kovacevich, pianos
Willy Goudswaard & Michael de Roo, percussion

Date: 1977 (1-12), 1969 (13-20)
Label: Decca (recorded by Philips)
https://www.deccaclassics.com/us/cat/4782467

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Review

MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL'S BARGAIN OF THE MONTH

This CD is of material that first came out on the Philips label and was then reissued in the Decca Originals series. The record of the works for two pianos was issued separately and became an instant classic. Kovacevich’s recordings of the solo works are from eight years earlier when the pianist was in his late twenties. While all of these are worthy, the account of the Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion alone would make this an indispensable disc. For many this performance has never been bettered.

The Sonata is one of Bartók’s seminal works, though not as popular for some reason as the Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta composed the year before the Sonata. It has much in common with that work and at the same time looks forward to the humor of the Divertimento for Strings of 1939. The composer adapted the Sonata as a Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in 1940, but that version only dilutes the power of the original. Argerich, Kovacevich and their percussionists project all the power, mystery and humor in the music in a superb performance and in stunning sound that impresses as much as any recording today.

The other Bartók pieces, performed by Kovacevich, conclude the disc. The Out of Doors suite is from the composer’s “wild and wooly” period of the 1920s. Kovacevich clearly has the measure of this music, even if he does not displace Max Levinson’s much wilder performance from 1997 (on N2K-10028) in my affections. Kovacevich concentrates more on structure and less on the moods of the various numbers in the suite than Levinson. He is especially good in the quiet sections, such as the Night’s Music (No. 4). The early Sonatina is one of Bartók’s folk-inspired creations that could serve as an encore for the disc as a whole. This is the same music that Bartók orchestrated in 1931 and called Dances of Transylvania - performed brilliantly by Iván Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra on Philips 454 430-2. While the piano original is very enjoyable, the orchestral one is that much more colorful. Kovacevich’s performance of the original sparkles.

The other major attraction on this CD is Debussy’s four-hand work, En blanc et noir. Like his other late chamber masterpieces, the sonatas for violin, cello, and flute, viola, and harp, En blanc et noir is more modern and abstract than Debussy’s earlier, more Impressionist works. As with the Bartók Sonata, it receives a terrific performance from Argerich and Kovacevich. The final piece comes between the Sonata and the Debussy suite and acts more or less as a palate cleanser: Mozart’s Andante with variations, which in spite of its short duration, is deceptive in its apparent simplicity. It brings out the composer’s genius just as effectively as some of his longer, more substantial works. Again the piano duo fully conveys the delights and the subtleties of this Mozart miracle. Here, as throughout the disc, the piano sound captured is clear and warm — in a word, wonderful.

In every way, then, this is a disc not to be missed. The production values are more than adequate. David Gutman’s notes focus on the present artists’ performances and recordings of the works and even include quotes from previous reviews. There is one inconsistency, however, concerning Stephen Kovacevich’s name. On the booklet front-cover it is listed as Stephen Bishop Kovacevich, the name he used after being first known as simply Stephen Bishop. In the booklet itself and elsewhere, it is just Stephen Kovacevich, as he prefers it now.

-- Leslie Wright, MusicWeb International

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Béla Bartók (March 25, 1881 – September 26, 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist and an ethnomusicologist. Bartók is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Liszt are regarded as Hungary's greatest composers. Through his collection and analytical study of folk music, he was one of the founders of comparative musicology, which later became ethnomusicology. Bartók's music reflects two trends that dramatically changed the sound of music in the 20th century: the breakdown of the diatonic system of harmony, and the revival of nationalism as a source for musical inspiration.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9la_Bart%C3%B3k

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Claude Debussy (22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures associated with Impressionist music, though he disliked the term when applied to his compositions. Debussy is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. His innovative harmonies and his use of non-traditional scales were influential to almost every major composer of the 20th century and also some modern music groups. Debussy's music is noted for its sensory content and frequent usage of nontraditional tonalities.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Debussy

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Martha Argerich (born June 5, 1941 in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine pianist generally considered to be one of the greatest of the second half of the 20th century, although her aversion to the press and publicity has resulted in her remaining out of the limelight for most of her career. Argerich gave her debut concert at the age of 8 and made her first commercial recording in 1960. Argerich rose to international prominence when she won the seventh International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1965, at age 24. She is noted for her bravura technique and the raw energy of her interpretations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_Argerich

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Stephen Kovacevich (born October 17, 1940 in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California) is an American classical pianist and conductor. At the age of 18, Kovacevich moved to London to study under Myra Hess. In 1967, he made his New York debut and since then he has toured Europe, the United States, the Far East, Australia, New Zealand and South America. As a soloist and conductor, he has frequently performed and recorded works by, amongst others, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and Bartók. Kovacevich has given master classes and recitals at Dartington International Summer School for many years.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Kovacevich

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