Piano Concerto No. 2 (Bartók)

Béla Bartók's "Piano Concerto No. 2 in G major, Sz. 95, BB 101" (1930-1931), is one of the composer's more accessible compositions for audiences alike, but remains one of the most challenging piano concerti in the repertoire. His previous effort in the genre, the Piano Concerto No. 1 (1926), is somewhat thornier in its idiom. It had not been very popular at the time. Since Bartók wrote most of his piano music for his own use as a performer throughout Europe and the United States, it seems natural that he would have wanted a work with more universal appeal. Though Bartók completed the Second Concerto in October 1931, it was not premiered until January 23, 1933 in Frankfurt – an especially notable event, since this marked the last time Bartók ever performed in soon-to-be Nazified Germany. The Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Hans Rosbaud, known for his anti-Nazi views. The first performance in Hungary was later that same year, by Louis Kentner, with an orchestra conducted by Otto Klemperer.

Composition

In approaching the composition, Bartok wanted his music to be more contrapuntal. Bartok wanted to simplify his music (like many of his contemporaries), but his use of counterpoint in this piece makes for an extremely complicated piece of music. This aspect had proven particularly troublesome in the First Concerto – so much so, in fact, that the New York Philharmonic, which was to have given the premiere, could not master it in time, and another work had to be substituted on the program. The composer himself acknowledged that the piano part was arduous and later said that the concerto "is a bit difficult – one might even say very difficult! – as much for orchestra as for audience." He apparently tried to offset that with the Second Concerto, which has enjoyed both critical acclaim and worldwide popularity. Indeed, Bartók is said to have composed this concerto as a direct contrast to the First.

Form

Movements are:
#"Allegro"
#"Adagio – Più adagio – Presto"
#"Allegro molto"

The overall form of the Second Concerto is symmetrical – the tempo structure is "fast-slow-fast-slow-fast" – in the Bartókian manner that has come to be identified as "arch form". The first movement, marked "Allegro", is highlighted by the active, punctuating piano solo. The piano's quick, rhythmic pace and fragmentary scalar movement suggest the influence of Stravinsky, and the ballet "Petrushka" (1910-1911) in particular, while other characteristics point to "The Firebird" -- the main theme of the movement, introduced by the trumpets, is a reference to Firebird's finale. The concerto's instrumentation similarly betrays Bartók's affinity with Stravinsky, as the string section remains silent for the entire first movement – a characteristic which also reflects an increasing emphasis on the wind and percussion sections of the orchestra in the early decades of the twentieth century. Sections of neo-Bachian counterpoint may also reflect Stravinsky's influence.

Bartók's idiom for the second "Adagio" movement is his Night music style. The movement starts with the strings making their first entrance of the entire concerto. Markedly different from its predecessor, this central movement begins with a slow chorale stated by the strings in stacked perfect fifths. After this first "chorale" section, the piano enters, accompanied only by timpani – a striking, unusual instrumental pairing that readily illustrates Bartók's frequent employment of the piano as an extension of the percussion family, typical for night music style. The middle section of this movement, signalled by a change to a "Presto" tempo, is extremely quick and light; some of its passages are similar to pieces in his Mikrokosmos, which he was also working on at the time. The movement is rounded out by a return to the original slow tempo and the reappearance of motives from the beginning of the movement. The third movement is a free variation of the first and is similar in pace and melodic shape.

Recordings

Some notable recordings are by:
* Leif Ove Andsnes (piano), Berliner Philharmoniker, Pierre Boulez (conductor) – Deutsche Grammophon 477 533-0
* Stephen Kovacevich, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis – Philips 468 188-2
* Géza Anda, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra (now called Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin), Ferenc Fricsay – Deutsche Grammophon 447 399-2
* Maurizio Pollini, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Claudio Abbado – Deutsche Grammophon 471 360-2
* Alexis Weissenberg (piano), Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy (conductor) – RCA B00000E6PC

External links

* [http://www.idilbiret.net/Archive/musicarchive01.htm Recording by Turkish pianist Idil Biret]