Ori Kam Bartok Concerto

Ori Kam, viola
Israel Symphony Orchestra
Mendi Rodan, conductor

Category:

Music

Tags:

• ori
• kam
• rodan
• bartok
• viola
• concerto

[violaAfficionado]

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that Bartok did not compose this piece. The piece was constructed by Bartok's friend and assistant Tibor Serly after Bartok's death, based on Bartok's sketches. Serly took some liberties, and was not always true to Brtok's sketches.

There is a newer version of the concerto, which claims to be more true to Bartok's sketches. Personally I find it works as a musicological thesis, but the old version works much better as a performance piece.

[powerofalto]

A beautifully projected tone and strong intonation. A thought: as with Bartok's music in general, there are very specific metronome markings throughout. These markings inform the character of the music and, by extension, the sound world that Bartok intends. While it makes sense to bend time at the beginning, the tempo in this reading is slower than that stipulated by the composer.  Perhaps the reading would benefit less from a re-examination of vibrato than a re-examination of tempo?

[thisismikestanley]

intonation man. regardless, its a very strong interpretation, one of the few that i've heard which seem to really present the first movement as a united whole

[100violinista]

you are a genius!!! beautiful playing!!!

[bcjohnson3]

(part 2 read below first) Personally I LIKE being able to hear all the notes in this performance. I like the crispness and courage of it. I know I've played in many orchestras where soloists hide their flaws in a faster tempo, or by playing under the orchestra. Not so here, kudos.

A wise viola professor once told me "well, you can play that slower if you want, but only after you prove to me you can play it accurately at the faster tempo" haha she caught me!

[bcjohnson3]

I can't remember the exact citation, but there is a great article in music theory literature about the "Fallacy of Intention".. this is the same debate about orchestras tuning up or down for historical accuracy, tempi in Beethoven's symphonies, Baroque performance practice, on and on... ultimately if the artist is compelled by a new interpretation (tempo, candenzas, play a passage up an octave, etc) I say go for it.

[kzt333]

is this available on cd?

[ThoughtTravel]

... it is a mystery why someone would only post a partial piece ...and not the sequal. It is not as if this poor audio quality clip could possibly be resold commercially .. and yet the performance grabs the listener so much one wants to hear it out ... Now, if someone has the original, and can offer a DVD for sale, I would understand.; but that is not what we have. Now, about we all start clapping in unison until someone posts the rest of this!? ;) :))

[powerofalto]

Thank you for you perspective, violaAfficionado. I too have had a chance to study the Bartok/Dellamaggiore revision, and spent (admittedly just) an hour looking at a facsimile of the score as left by B. Bartok. (My own copy of the revised edition does not contain the facsimile.) While there's no way around the fact that the piece is only partly Bartok's, I still hold to my initial impression of this performance: attention to tempo (a more horizontal approach) will awaken the character.

[violaAfficionado]

My point is that not everything in the score should be treated with the same degree of respect. I find it helpful to look at Bartok's sketches (available in the new version) to figure out what one can take liberty with, and what should be treated as Bartok's wishes.