Béla Bartók - Piano Concerto No.1 - Allegro Moderato

Vladimir Ashkenazy
Sir Georg Solti
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
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The Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Sz. 83, BB 91 of Béla Bartók was composed in 1926. It is about 23 to 24 minutes long.

The concerto comes after an increased interest on Baroque music on the part of Bartók, which is demonstrated by such devices as the increased use of counterpoint. The work, however, retains the harshness and dissonance that is characteristic of Bartók. Here, as elsewhere in Bartók's output, the piano is used percussively.

The first movement is based on two motives, an ostinato rhythm first introduced by the timpani and a narrow-ranging melodic fragment played by the horns; while it begins with brass clusters and harsh dissonances, the melodic element gains greater and greater importance throughout the movement. The second movement is an example of what is known as Bartók's "night music". The strings and brass are silent; a duet for piano and percussion becomes the backdrop to an eerie and dissonant woodwind melody, and then recurs to bring the movement to a cadence. The third movement follows immediately as percussion take up its rhythm; it is a fast and lively rondo in which the returns of the main theme are greatly varied.

Movements: 1. Allegro moderato - Allegro 2. Andante - attacca 3. Allegro molto
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Painting: "Composition VII", by Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Bela
• Bartok
• Piano
• Concerto
• No
• Allegro
• moderato

[Gheltaro]

Yes, lot of thanks for the post!

(But: "Béla" is his first name, not "Belá")

[regnar666]

Fixed :)

[MikeJohnstonguitar]

gr8 concerto...thanks for the post.

[regnar666]

You're welcome

[textthing]

This is the recording that made me fall in love with Bartók's music. It's still one of my favourites. This music seems to me to strike to the heart of what music is about: sheer vitality, unrestrained energy and invention.

[minid15]

Two years ago I heard this piece and I was like WTF... But now I'm really enjoying it.

[RufusLoacker]

@Bagas I lol'd \m/

[Bagas]

Man I love those percussive rhythms. So headbang-able

[fierydog]

@minid15 Exact same reaction.

[gil1tshinanu]

thank you friend, Bartok was someone who shaped me way back in the 1950ties

that was in the time of the Quebec start of the 'Révolution Tranquille' that we shaped then, in the next 20 years to come

[gil1tshinanu]

thank you friend, Bartok was someone who shaped me way back in the 1950ties

[xallever]

@surfinpure as do I =)

[xallever]

has anyone heard of Maurizio Pollini's version?

[Varese13]

@surfinpure Perhaps I should have said "MANY people who dislike Schoenberg". In any case, my previous comment was intended to be general rather than specific. There are some who are unwilling to give either composer the benefit of the doubt, which, IMHO, is THEIR loss.

[surfinpure]

I don't know about that. I love most of Bartok's music but I generally can't stand to listen to Schoenberg.