Hi Larry,

> I'm ordering this work: Concerto/Sonata for 2 pianos,
> percussion & orchestra. I didn't even know it existed. I
> stumbled upon it. Has anyone anything to say about it
> in either or both versions?

The Sonata for two pianos and percussions is a true
masterpiece. For me it's one of best work of Bartok. There are
lots of kinds of new ideas, from themes to the orchestration, and
they form a homogeneous entity. The combination of two pianos
and percussions was here used for the first time.

When Bartok lived in the US, he had money problems. He
believed that a Concerto for two pianos and orchestra could be
better "sold" that the sonata. That's why he transcribed the
sonata to a concerto. The orchestration is well done (B. was a
great orchestrator), and there are some very good ideas.
However this version is less original than the sonata, and for me
it's less strong, and a bit less beautiful.

If you have a look to various catalogs, you'll find far more records
of the sonata than of the concerto. It seems that the concerto
version had less success than the sonata.

> How about this recording?

I didn't hear the recording, but Marta Argerich and the two other
pianists are very good musicians (and very good pianists). And
it's interesting to compare the two versions on the same CD.

What's *your* opinion about the two versions, Larry?

Best wishes, Pierre


Pierre Csillag
http://www.geocities.com/pcsillag.geo/