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Bartok Booster As I have always been fascinated by Bela Bartok, I am responding to your issue (March) in which Paul Henry Lang and Curtis W Davis, in particular, offered their valuable insights into the composer. I feel that he has a good chance of being designated the greatest composer of the twentieth century. Why must the nominees for that title be restricted to the Russian camp Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich? Bartok's music is permeated with overt classical purity, cleanness of line, baroque leanness--qualities that Stravinsky does not always possess Bartok’s orchestration, somewhat like Beethoven's, is utterly direct and implies that we are hearing his actual untainted thoughts, unimpaired by attempts at Color (as with Ravel, Debussy) or by sheer technical wizardry (Rimsky-Korsakov. Richard Strauss) I can't imagine him resorting to a phonograph recording of birdcalls or a wind machine. When it comes to atonality and dissonance. Bartok had a knack for knowing where to draw the line, unlike Schoenberg and Prokofiev. (Perhaps I have old-fashioned ideas about melody and harmony) Dissonances do color his music, but even in his less melodic works (e.g., the Second Piano Concerto and some of the string quartets( atonality is not permitted to dominate Presumably he saw dissonance as only a device, not an end in itself For a composer of such immense stature, Bartók is fess frequently played than he should he I hope that the centenary of his birth will mark the beginning of a change. James D. Maffett, Lakeland, Fla Bartók's "Bluebeard" It was with sad heart that I read Karen Monson's review of Bartók's "Bluebeard's Castle" in the-January issue. Anyone who has read the account of Bartók's tormented stay in America, "The Naked Face of Genius," cannot hut have etched on his memory the excruciating burden that life was for the composer and for the solicitous women who hovered over him as he inflicted his pain and perfectionism on them. "Bluebeard's Castle" may have been an attempt to give artistic form to his emotional coldness and remoteness from women who were drawn to him. At least this is the message I get from the program notes that accompany the mono release on the Bartók label. I compared this Monson review with Kenneth Furie's careful and responsible analysis of Edo de Waart's rendition of "Der Rosenkavalier" (September 1977) This was a difficult piece to organize, and yet it was done to perfection in a rather limited space, giving us particulars on the cast and the relative strengths and weaknesses of all the roles in an explicit and illuminating way. The reviewer gave us external data and musical criteria without intruding with irrelevant, subjective statements (e.g., Ms. Monson's "I feel compelled to say that this is not an antifeminist work ..." ). This reviewer does not really have the stature to take on the piece assigned. On the other hand, I wish to compliment the editor and staff on the consistently high quality of the classical reviews over the years. It's exhilarating to see music reported on in such civilized, witty, and joyful terms, knowledgeably, and with fresh and polished writing. -Ronald Haak; Kyoto, Japan Sounding off on Digital In the March "Letters," Jack Sullivan wrote unequivocally that "digital sounds better " Not always. The sound, as in analog recording, depends on the engineering and is subject to variation. Mehta's murky CBS recording of Beethoven's "Eroica" is a case in point. Also, just because a recording is made digitally or direct-cut does not make it the best available. Mr. Sullivan can keep Telarc's "Pictures"; I prefer the Szell or Toscanini versions as better and more exciting performances. We are not "jaded,” but rather more discerning, when we are not wowed by a mediocre rendition in ultrasound. The recent digital Saint-Saéns Third Symphony is splendid sonically but belongs at the bottom of any list of performances. I suggest that Mr. Sullivan start listening to the music instead of the sonic dressing. He might find what he has been missing in analog discs. -William Russell; Houston, Tex. Levine's "Zauberflóte" Cast With reference to your "Behind the Scenes" item (February), let me amend or correct some inaccuracies. In the digital "Zauberflóte," RCA went to a great deal of trouble to preserve James Levine's Salzburg cast-and therefore the sense of ensemble production. You state that we did not preserve the cast. Let me get some facts on record. Ileana Cotrubas premiered her Pamina with the new production in 1978. She sang all the performances that year as well as all those in 1979. In 1980, she sang only two out of the five performances because she was also appearing in "The Abduction." Zdislava Donat sang the Queen of the Night in Salzburg in 1979 and 1980 (following Edita Gruberová's debut in the role in Salzburg in 1978). We are very proud of this recording made with the Salzburg cast of Levine's choice. There are no substitutions. Thomas Z. Shepard;Division Vice President RCA Red Seal Artists & Repertoire McClure and Walter Out of fairness to my colleague John McClure, I would like this to be an addendum to my letter printed in December 1980, in which I took credit for producing the last recordings of Bruno Walter, which were praised by Derrick Henry. If we consider the last recordings to encompass the whole Los Angeles series made from 1957 to 1962, then McClure must also be credited with producing many of these historic recordings, including the nine symphonies of Beethoven, the four symphonies of Brahms, Bruckner's Fourth and Ninth, Mahler's First and Ninth, and the last six symphonies of Mozart. -Thomas Frost; New York, N.Y. The Composer's Intention One reason I subscribe to HIGH FIDELITY is to be apprised of the latest opera recordings. Usually your reviewers are careful to balance their personal views with analytical considerations. But your September 1980 issue contained seven columns on the recent Muti recordings of "Cavalleria rusticana" and "I Pagliacci," and while I have not yet heard them, I object in no uncertain terms to the rationale of reviewer Kenneth Furie that "... as far as I'm concerned, 'the composer's intention' is pretty much irrelevant." That statement should disqualify him from reviewing. Alan D. Aberbach; President Western Canadian Opera Society Waxman Waxes Enthusiastic I read with interest in the March issue Paul Snook's review of Entr'acte Records' first LP release of works by Rózsa, Webb, and Waxman. As co-producer of the recording, I would like to congratulate its unsung hero, Ward Marston, who engineered the well-nigh flawless disc transfers from the original 78s in this reissue and gave fidelity to the music. The process as he accomplished it was like buying an assembled puzzle in the store, breaking it into pieces, then putting it back together so that the cracks do not even show. His sensitive understanding of the music and fine craftsmanship are marvelous. -John William Waxman; Westport, Conn. Reel Enjoyment I am delighted that, through R. D. Darrell's "The Tape Deck," you are bringing the beauty of reel-to-reel tapes to your readers' attention. I find Barclay-Crocker tapes a source of endless and deeply moving involvement in music that is incomparably reproduced. The richness of detail and dynamic range come closest to an actual concert of all forms of sonic reproduction that I have heard. Reel-to-reel tapes are particularly suited to major choral, orchestral, and operatic works; their cost is close to that of records and beats that of cassettes. When digging among my sons' possessions in my attic, I found some old London reels of operas and Gilbert and Sullivan. They are beautiful, even without Dolby noise reduction. Hiss is virtually inaudible, and there is almost no distortion. The impact of a piece like "Parsifal" is terrific. How I wish that these old tapes of the '60s and '70s could be revived. If anyone knows of a source, I would buy a closetful. -Laurence R. Mundy; Mendham, N.J. We're Moving: Effective immediately, all editorial correspondence should be addressed to The Editor, High Fidelity, 825 7th Ave., New York, N.Y. 10019. ------------- (High Fidelity, magazine) Also see: Crosstalk |
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