Bartók: Viola Concerto, BB 128, Sz. 120

Hailed as ‘the Jascha Heifetz of our day’ (The Globe and Mail, Canada), the violinist James Ehnes is widely considered one of the most dynamic and exciting performers in classical music, appearing regularly with the world’s finest orchestras and conductors. Accompanied here by the BBC Philharmonic under Gianandrea Noseda, Ehnes is the soloist in Bartók’s two violin concertos in which he plays the ‘Marsick’ Stradivarius of 1715, as well as in the viola concerto, performing on the ‘Rolla’ Giuseppe Guadagnini viola of 1793, on loan from the Fulton Collection.

James Ehnes said of this disc: ‘These three concertos are among the most striking examples of Bartók’s early, middle, and late periods, each showing a very different side of one of the great musical voices of all time; they are among my very favourite pieces to perform’.

Bartók wrote his first concerto for violin in 1908 for the young violinist Stefi Geyer, to whom he was romantically attached at the time, which explains the warm feelings expressed in the first movement; though the relationship ended shortly after the work’s completion, Bartók and Geyer remained on friendly terms. The composer shelved the concerto, which remained in Geyer’s possession, unperformed until two years after her death, nearly fifty years after it was written.

Violin Concerto No. 2 was commissioned by the Hungarian violinist Zoltán Székely almost thirty years after the first concerto was completed. Bartók at the time would have preferred to write an extended set of variations, but Székely maintained that, seeing as he was paying for the work, he should get what he asked for. Bartók reluctantly agreed – but later pointed out that he had had his way after all, seeing as the central movement is in variation form, and the finale works with variations of themes from the first movement.

The Viola Concerto is among the last pieces on which Bartók worked. Existing only in the form of extended sketches at the time of his death in September 1945, the work was completed by the violist and composer Tibor Serly, a fellow Hungarian and close friend of Bartók’s. Compared to earlier works by Bartók, the concerto is harmonically restrained with a melancholy quality that was always evident in his music, but which intensified in his late years.

The rhythmic excitement and plangent melodic shapes of Eastern European folk music come together in perfect balance in the works of Bela Bartók's maturity, where the range of colour and drama cover an entire world of experience and emotion, life-enhancing and deeply satisfying.

The British viola player Lawrence Power continues to be acclaimed as one of the greatest performers of today. Together with Hyperion he is recording all of the seminal twentieth-century works for the viola.

Of the three Hungarian works for viola and orchestra on this latest release, the best-known is Bartok’s viola concerto, completed after the composer’s death by Tibor Serly. Serly was Bartók’s most constant and trusted Hungarian musicianfriend in his last years in the USA. William Primrose (who edited the viola part himself) was able to premiere Serly’s recension of the music on 2 December 1949, with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra conducted by Antal Dorati. Almost immediately it was recognized as one of the major contributions to the small literature of concertos for the viola, and has been a cornerstone of the instrument’s repertoire ever since. Serly’s own Rhapsody for Viola and Orchestra dwells somewhat within Bartok’s shadow, but is nevertheless a skilful and elaborate work with a rollocking finale. The disc is completed by a modern viola concerto by the film composer Miklós Rósza. The overall impression of the work is individual, darkly Romantic, and authentically Hungarian in inspiration.

One of Bartók’s most popular symphonic works is his Concerto for Orchestra; Rafael Kubelik’s fabulous recording of it has long been out of the catalogue and is now restored to circulation at budget price. The Viola Concerto was commissioned by William Primrose, who did much to advocate the piece. Sadly, Bartók died before he could complete the work or meet with Primrose at a sufficiently advanced stage of the concerto’s composition in order to discuss it. Tibor Serly completed the work and Primrose premiered it in 1949. This is the first release on CD of the Deutsche Grammophon recording of the piece with Daniel Benyamini, for long leader of the viola section of the Israel Philharmonic as soloist, and Daniel Barenboim conducting.

‘This is a performance to keep making you smile with delight … Kubelik presents a relaxed view with the rhythms pointed to bring out the wit, above all the peasant-like jollity … The DG recording is warm and atmospheric but equally has good inner detail’ Gramophone [Concerto for Orchestra]

‘the committed performance here by soloist and conductor shows the concerto in the best possible light; and the slow movement is really touching’ Gramophone [Viola Concerto]

The living legend: still innovative, radical and original. Pierre Boulez concludes his acclaimed Bartók Concertos project, which has received the highest accolades, with an album featuring the Viola Concerto, Violin Concerto no.1 and the Concerto for Two Pianos, Percussion and Orchestra

For this recording, Boulez has once again gathered an extraordinary team of musicians: Yuri Bashmet, Gidon Kremer, Pierre-Laurent Aimard – with his long-term recital partner Tamara Stefanovich – and two of the world’s most esteemed ensembles: the Berliner Philharmoniker and London Symphony Orchestra

DG is particularly delighted that its exclusive artist Pierre-Laurent Aimard teams up with Pierre Boulez, with whom he shares a strong artistic partnership. The combination of two such insightful musicians as Aimard and Boulez with one of the world’s great orchestras promises to be something very special

A recording that brings together some of the greatest musicians of the modern age in their admiration for the Hungarian master composer of the 20th century: Boulez’s Bartók cycle has all the ingredients to become the benchmark recording of this repertoire

Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) was one of the most under appreciated composers of the 20th century. Talented and prolific, he was also a viola virtuoso of the highest order and premiered William Walton's Viola Concerto. More than any other composer, Hindemith understood the viola and wrote some of its most challenging repertoire. 'Der Schwanendreher' is a delightful viola concerto with themes based on old German folksongs.

On his death-bed Béla Bartók (1881-1945) left a draft of what appears to be almost all of the solo viola part of his concerto. The orchestration of the first version prepared for performance is largely Tibor Serly’s although Bartók left fairly frequent short-hand prompts to what he had in mind. The revised edition, by Peter Bartók and Nelson Dellamaggiore, has restored many original features, but has not fundamentally challenged the orchestration.

Nobuko Imai is considered to be one of the most outstanding viola players of our time. After finishing her studies at the Toho School of Music, Yale University and the Juilliard School, she won the highest prizes at both the Munich and the Geneva international competitions. She combines a distinguished international solo career with teaching at the Conservatories in Amsterdam and Geneva, where she is a Professor.