Notes and Editorial Reviews
To those who've despaired of piecing together Zoltan Kocsis' unprecedented solo Bartók cycle from various deleted single-disc releases, take heart. Here it is, all eight discs, housed in a slim-line, budget-priced boxed set, with terrific annotations to boot. From the simplest Mikrokosmos to the most taxing moments in the Etudes, Sonata, and Out of Doors suite, Kocsis realizes Bartók's intentions with extraordinary specificity in regard to pianism per se and score-reading. He takes the composer's exacting timings and metronome markings on faith, yet he also gives serious consideration to variant readings based on Bartók's own recorded performances. Most of all, Kocsis'
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thoroughly internalized command of Bartók's speech-like syntax brings out the music's lyrical underside that many percussive Bartók players either ignore or don't know exists. Mezzo-soprano Marta Lukin admirably helps out in the Mikrokosmos selections for which the composer suggests a vocal line, while Karoly Mocsari joins in on the six that require a second piano.
For comprehensiveness, sonic quality, and interpretation, this set has no peer (with all due respect to György Sandor's authoritative Bartók legacy), and is not likely to be surpassed in the near future. This is the Bartók piano music Bible; don't let it slip away. [1/17/2006]
--Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
Bagatelles (14) for Piano, Op. 6/Sz 38 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1908; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 09/1991
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 25 Minutes 36 Secs.
2.
Elegies (2) for Piano, Op. 8b/Sz 41 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1908-1909; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 09/1991
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 14 Minutes 41 Secs.
3.
Romanian Folkdances (6) for Piano, Sz 56 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1915; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 09/1991
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 5 Minutes 9 Secs.
4.
Sonatina for Piano, Sz 55 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1915; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 09/1991
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 3 Minutes 54 Secs.
5.
Hungarian Folktunes (3) for Piano, Sz 66 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1914-1918; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 09/1991
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 3 Minutes 56 Secs.
6.
Romanian Dances (2) for Piano, Op. 8a/Sz 43 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1909-1910; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 08/1993
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 8 Minutes 21 Secs.
7.
Hungarian folksongs (3) from the Csik district, Sz 35a by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1907; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 08/1993
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 3 Minutes 12 Secs.
8.
Allegro barbaro for Piano, Sz 49 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1911; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 08/1993
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 2 Minutes 30 Secs.
9.
Dirges (4) for Piano, Op. 9a/Sz 45 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1909-1910; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 08/1993
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 8 Minutes 18 Secs.
10.
Suite for Piano, Op. 14/Sz 62 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1916; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 08/1993
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 8 Minutes 1 Secs.
11.
Romanian Christmas Carols for Piano, Sz 57 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1915; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 08/1993
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 10 Minutes 44 Secs.
12.
Etudes (3) for Piano, Op. 18/Sz 72 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1918; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 08/1993
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 7 Minutes 5 Secs.
13.
Rondos (3) on Slovak folktunes for Piano, Sz 84 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1916-1927; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 08/1993
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 8 Minutes 7 Secs.
14.
The First Term at the Piano, Sz 53 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1913-1929; Hungary
Date of Recording: 08/1993
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 14 Minutes 33 Secs.
15.
For Children, Sz 42 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1909/1945; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 04/1994
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 74 Minutes 39 Secs.
16.
Sonata for Piano, Sz 80 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1926; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 06/1996
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 12 Minutes 17 Secs.
17.
Out of Doors, Sz 81 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1926; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 06/1996
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 13 Minutes 19 Secs.
18.
Little Pieces (9) for Piano, Sz 82 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1926; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 06/1996
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 15 Minutes 16 Secs.
19.
Petite Suite for Piano, Sz 105 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1936; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 06/1996
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 6 Minutes 41 Secs.
Notes: Arranger: Béla Bartók.
20.
Mikrokosmos, Sz 107: Book 1 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1926-1939; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 07/1997
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 25 Minutes 1 Secs.
21.
Mikrokosmos, Sz 107: Book 2 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano),
Károly Mocsari (Piano),
Márta Lukin (Mezzo Soprano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1926-1939; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 07/1997
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 27 Minutes 41 Secs.
22.
Mikrokosmos, Sz 107: Book 3 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano),
Márta Lukin (Mezzo Soprano),
Károly Mocsari (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1926-1939; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 07/1997
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 23 Minutes 42 Secs.
23.
Mikrokosmos, Sz 107: Book 4 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1926-1939; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 10/1997
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 27 Minutes 57 Secs.
24.
Mikrokosmos, Sz 107: Book 5 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Márta Lukin (Mezzo Soprano),
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1926-1939; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 10/1997
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 20 Minutes 10 Secs.
25.
Mikrokosmos, Sz 107: Book 6 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1926-1939; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 10/1997
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 28 Minutes 5 Secs.
26.
Burlesques (3) for Piano, Op. 8c/Sz 47 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1908-1911; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 08/1998
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 6 Minutes 42 Secs.
27.
Sketches (7) for Piano, Op. 9b/Sz 44 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1908-1910; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 1980
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 11 Minutes 20 Secs.
28.
Hungarian Peasant Songs (15) for Piano, Sz 71 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1914-1918; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 1980
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 13 Minutes 22 Secs.
29.
Improvisations (8) on Hungarian Peasant Songs, Op. 20/Sz 74 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1920; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 1980
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 10 Minutes 54 Secs.
30.
Easy Pieces (10) for Piano, Sz 39 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1908; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 08/1998
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 17 Minutes 57 Secs.
31.
Dance Suite for Piano, Sz 77 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1925; Budapest, Hungary
Venue: Friedrich Ebert Hall, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 15 Minutes 9 Secs.
Notes: Friedrich Ebert Hall, Hamburg, Germany (08/1998 - 08/1999)
32.
Pieces (4) for Piano, BB 27/DD 71 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1903
Venue: Friedrich Ebert Hall, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 26 Minutes 5 Secs.
Notes: Friedrich Ebert Hall, Hamburg, Germany (08/1998 - 08/1999)
33.
Kossuth, Sz 21: Marche funčbre by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1903; Budapest, Hungary
Venue: Friedrich Ebert Hall, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 4 Minutes 52 Secs.
Notes: Version: 1905
Friedrich Ebert Hall, Hamburg, Germany (08/1998 - 08/1999)
34.
Rhapsody for Piano, Op. 1/BB 36a by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1904; Budapest, Hungary
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 18 Minutes 49 Secs.
Notes: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany (08/1998 - 08/1999)
35.
Rhapsody for Piano, Op. 1/BB 36a: Adagio mesto by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Zoltán Kocsis (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1904; Budapest, Hungary
Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
Length: 10 Minutes 39 Secs.
Notes: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany (08/1998 - 08/1999)
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