Bela Bartok - Béla Bartók: Divertimento For String Orchestra (1939) / Benjamin Britten: Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge, Op. 10, For String Orchestra - Import CD

Credits:

Bela Bartok

Description:

The second in the "Preziosa" series of re-releases of "rare" recordings on the MDG label is Bartók and Britten by the Polish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Jerzy Maksimiuk. The first release was Rossini's "Little Solemn Mass" (MDG-102000329) recorded in 1976 under the direction of Hermann Kreutz, and the second release is Bartók and Britten by the Polish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Jerzy Maximiuk. Jerzy Maksimiuk, born in 1936 in Grodna, Belarus, was active in the West in the 1970s, and was a forerunner of future composers such as Janowski (1939-) and Vito (1944-). She studied violin, piano, conducting, and composition at the Warsaw Conservatory, and while working at the Warsaw Grand Theater, she founded the Polish Chamber Orchestra in 1972. He later served as principal conductor of the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra in Katowice (1975-77) and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (1983-93). When this recording was made in 1985, Poland was still in the Communist bloc, and Werner Dubbelinghaus, one of the founders of MDG, recalled the situation as follows: "The recording of the leading Polish conductors was a great success. Werner Doublinghaus, one of the founders of MDG, recalls, "We had an attractive program of recordings of Poland's leading conductors. We had to drive about 1,000 kilometers from Detmold to Warsaw in a car full of recording equipment. But we could not even pass through Helmstedt, the border town between the former East and West Germany at that time. Moreover, at the Polish border, a customs official turned to us and said, " Do you have any magazines?" So we learned that next time we come, just bring 'Playboy.'" Later on, the commentary describes the episode of being stopped by a policeman while driving through Poland, in which the Bach recordings came in handy, as well as various other valuable episodes from the recording sessions. Bartók's "Divertimento for Strings" was composed in 1939 and has a classical form. The clarity of the music, with almost no sense of the unsettled atmosphere of the time, is the essence of Bartók's music.Britten's "Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge" was composed in gratitude and admiration for his mentor Bridge. The composition was his crowning achievement, consisting of an introduction and presentation of the theme followed by 10 variations (9 variations, fugue and finale). King International

Tracklisting:

1.Divertimento for string orchestra, Sz. 113, BB 118~I. Allegro non troppo
2.Divertimento for string orchestra, Sz. 113, BB 118~II. Molto adagio
3.Divertimento for string orchestra, Sz. 113, BB 118~III. Allegro assai
4.Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge, for strings, Op. 10~Introduction and Theme
5.Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge, for strings, Op. 10~Variation 1: Adagio
6.Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge, for strings, Op. 10~Variation 2: March
7.Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge, for strings, Op. 10~Variation 3: Romance
8.Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge, for strings, Op. 10~Variation 4: Aria Italiana
9.Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge, for strings, Op. 10~Variation 5: Bourree classique
10.Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge, for strings, Op. 10~Variation 6: Wiener Waltzer
11.Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge, for strings, Op. 10~Variation 7: Moto perpetuo
12.Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge, for strings, Op. 10~Variation 8: Funeral March
13.Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge, for strings, Op. 10~Variation 9: Chant
14.Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge, for strings, Op. 10~Variation 10: Fugue and Finale