Composer: Bela Bartók
Orchestra: Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Fritz Reiner
Audio CD
Number of Discs: 1
Format: ISO
Label: RCA
Size: 1.5 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: no
01. Introduzione: Andante non troppo – Allegro
02. Giuoco delle coppie: Allegretto scherzando
03. Elegia: Andante non troppo
04. Intermezzo interrotto: Allegretto
05. Finale: Pesante; Presto
While apparently there is at least one person on the planet who can listen to these amazing recordings and not be moved, the bulk of reviews here reflect what a profound treasure these sessions are. These recordings (along with the Fine Arts Quartet recordings of the Quartets) were my *virgin* exposure to Bartok. This was over 30 years ago in their vinyl incarnation, and on equipment that was far from *HiFi*. Yet it was life-changing music. Those vinyl copies were lost, and I spent years trying to recapture the magic of these pieces through various other recordings well into the CD age. Now the SACD format has given us a virtual sonic time machine, and the ability to hear these landmark recordings in all their original splendor. I did have the pleasure of hearing the Concerto For Orchestra performed live by the BSO, conducted by Seiji Ozawa, sometime in the early 80’s (BSO centennial), but the Reiner rendition remains my most cherished.