Decca has repackaged its famous LP series, 'The World
of . . . ', for the CD age; but whereas the previous incarnation usually
brought prospective purchasers a collection of representative complete
pieces, now the trend is towards movements culled from their home, à
la Classic FM. It is tempting to get on one's high horse and dismiss
the enterprise. Except, of course, that all listeners have to start
somewhere, and who knows where that might be. At an appealing price
this compilation does give an intelligently chosen selection of key
works by Bartók, in performances which sound splendid and are
given by major artists associated with the composer. It's all a matter
of who will enjoy less than the complete pieces. Had Bartók wanted
these movements to be played separately, he would have written them
as individual works . . . .
That said, there are some distinguished performances
here, and of complete pieces too. The mainstay of the selection comes
from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Georg Solti, a conductor
who was always strongly associated with the composer. The recordings
and performances are nothing if not vivid, and as such are always compelling
and idiomatic. Whether the chosen selection is anything other than arbitrary
is quite another matter: a fast movement here, a slow movement there,
seem to be the only criteria. Perhaps this inevitably creates some kind
of musical balance, but it's hard to be really enthusiastic when the
complete pieces can offer so many more rewards and be true to Bartók's
intentions.
In this sense the greatest satisfaction can probably
be drawn from the selection of short piano pieces from Mikrokosmos,
which are idiomatically performed by Bartók's compatriot Zoltán
Kocsis. This music is not at all famous, not often performed, but it
stands up well to scrutiny here, and does give an insight into how important
folk music sources were to this composer.
The earliest of the recordings, of Bluebeard's Castle
conducted by Istvan Kertész, still sounds well. Otherwise they
are all relatively recent, though no date is given for Dorati's reading
of the early Suite. The recorded sound is good or better for all these
performances, but somehow the compilation seems less than the sum of
its parts.
Terry Barfoot
DECCA 470 129 2 [73.00]