Bartók - The Miraculous Mandarin Suite - Gardner

---

Béla Bartók
The Miraculous Mandarin

BBC Symphony Orchestra
Edward Gardner, conductor

London, Proms 2011

[littleriggs]

I read this piece was written as a representation of chaos brought to Europe by the spread of fascism in the 1930s. brilliant and brutal work here by Bartok

[paullennon]

Bartok is awesome, in my opinion. He knew how to invoke emotion with some wonderfully creepy pieces of music.

[Altonahh]

Whenever I listen to Bartok I ask myself how he could put all the patterns and musical ideas together? The Mandarin bursts of wonderful and intense musical themes and maybe Bartok should have written a 100 minute symphony with this music.

[lexusisd]

As a native Hungarian I must admit that I have not heard such an excellent rendition of this piece so far. Bravo!!

[ArgerichStan]

My god I love this piece. Bartok was out of this world genius

[TakatoEndou]

Probably one of the most challenging music ever written for the orchestra, my gracious lord.... Bravo, bravo!!!

[hectorbarrionuevo]

So wonderful how Bartok developed tonality into his own style(s). He used a variety of scales, chordal formations, and harsh dissonance, yet seemed to also admit tonal centers at times. This music features energetic, delicate, mysterious, dissonant, and colorfully-scored passages. I've seen the label "Primitivism" applied to the work (along with Stravinsky's "The Rite").

When I played this piece years ago with FOK orchestra Prague, my piano was just below the brass section. And I remember that the moment, here at 11:25, it was one of the biggest noises I have EVER experienced in my life. I did not have any earplugs and to prevent becoming deaf, I had to close my right ear with my hand. Massive!

[Protonixum]

Chef-d'œuvre !!! Interprétation EXCELLENTE !!!
In one of the passages from minute 5, you can feel the influence of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring! This work was conceived between 1918 and 1924 whereas the Rite is well previous ...

[gerardbegni]

The orchestral dynamics and tone seem me to reflect perfectly Bartok's intentions and the dramatic progression of the action.

[samuelcabellogonzalez]

Bartók, The Miraculous Mandarin, Suite
00:07 - Introduction
02:46 - First seduction game
06:14 - Second seduction game
09:46 - Third seduction game
12:18 - Dance of the girl
16:45 - The chase

[promerops]

I'm going to see it performed tonight. I find it is starting to grow on me, I'm pleased to say.

[notaire]

Spannende Aufführung dieser einzigartigen und etwas mysteriösen Suite mit farbenprächtigen Töne aller Instrumente. Die Virtuosität aller Solospieler ist erstaunlich hoch. Der geniale Maestro dirigiert das hoch funktionelle Orchester im veränderlichen Tempo mit völlig effektiver Dynamik. Einfach atemberaubend!

[gianmarcopetruccipercussion]

0:42 18:21 extract xilo
8:54 12:16 14:19 15:37 extract triangle
11:19 ext piatti a 2
Tam tam 15:57 17:03

[mrbrianmccarthy]

You really get the feel for the oncoming (and ongoing) Horrors of the early 20th century thru Bartoks music---He and Stravinsky, wow.

[erlandschneck-holze]

... a very good performance of this young british conductor ... listen, too, the famous Martinon/CSO reading - and feel the magic bow of this great composition...

[catherinehamer]

One of the most lurid and terrifying compositions of twentieth century.

[Zappanofilo]

Excelente orquesta y excelente interpretación. Si esto estuviera en cd sería toda una rererencia. Impresionante.

[timothybrittain]

Mind-bogglingly great. One of the top pieces of the 20th Century. But listen to the complete score, not just this (admittedly excellent) condensed version ("suite"). Bartók is the Einstein of 20th Century music. For Bartók's E=MC2, see "Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta."

[cantkeepitin]

Good idea to play this at the night of the proms.