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The Ascendancy of Bartok

Two seasons ago, of the 350 members of the League of American Orchestras, about 50 concerts around the country included a work by Bartok. In other words, only 15% of American orchestras played anything at all by Bartok.

The most commonly played works in the past have been the Miraculous Mandarin Suite and the Concerto for Orchestra, with an occasional nod in the direction of Bluebeard.

This season, it is like a Bartok bonanza. Every orchestra is playing Bartok, it seems, and not just once. Many orchestras are including several Bartok pieces in their season. The various concertos for viola, violin, and piano are popping up all over.

Last month, the NY Times pundit included Bartok in his Top 10 Greatest list. Two years ago, Bartok would not have been in the top 20 list of most critics.

I'm curious why the sudden love affair with Bartok. It's not an anniversary year of his birth or death, so that's not the explanation. Has Bartok really ascended to that rarified top tier of composers? Or is this just one of those bandwagon things, orchestras wanting to offer something different from Stravinsky as their token modernist?


"Life without music is a mistake" (Nietzsche)


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Topic - The Ascendancy of Bartok - Amphissa 07:25:45 03/14/11 (27)

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