Download BÉLA BARTÓK Piano Concerto No. 3 in E major

BÉLABARTÓK
PianoConcertoNo.3inEmajor,Sz.119,BB127
BORN:March25,1881,inNagyszentmiklós,Hungary
DIED:September26,1945,inNewYork
WORKCOMPOSED:1945
WORLDPREMIERE:February8,1946,inPhiladelphia.GyörgySándorplayedthesolopart,and
EugeneOrmandyconductedthePhiladelphiaOrchestra.
BélaBartókwasoneofthemajorcomposersofthe20thcentury,amusicianwhoseimportance
wasnotfullyappreciatedduringhislifetime.Overthecourseofhiscareer,Bartókcreateda
remarkablyoriginalcompositionalstyle,drawingontwoseeminglydisparatesources.Onewas
thepossibilitiesforharmonicfreedomandinnovationthatemergedaroundthebeginningofthe
20thcenturyintheworkofDebussy,Schoenbergandothercomposers.Thesecondwasthefolk
musicofhisnativeHungaryandothereasternEuropeancountries,whoseunusualrhythms,
scalesandtonalinflectionsbecamepartofthecomposer’sownmusicallanguage.Melding
thesetworesources,Bartókachievedathoroughlymodernidiomthatheusedinadistinctive
andpersonalway.
Bartók’sfinalcompositionwasapianoconcertowrittenforhissecondwife,DittaPasztory
Bartók.Previously,Bartókhadcomposedtwokeyboardconcertosforhisownuseasa
performer.Butbyearly1945hiscareerasapianistwasover.Hehadbeenillforseveralyears,
andheundoubtedlyunderstoodthathislifewasdrawingtoaclose.Bartókandhiswifehad
arrivedalmostpennilessinNewYorksomefouryearsearlier.Hehadnothinginthewayof
assets,andtheroyaltiesfromhiscompositionswouldnotsufficetosupportDitta.Thecomposer
thereforethoughttoleavehiswifeapieceshemightperformtohelpsupportherselfasa
concertartistafterhewasgone.
Bartókbarelyfinishedtheconcertobeforehesuccumbedtopolycythemia,ablooddisease,in
September1945.(Actually,hefailedtoorchestrateitslastseventeenmeasures,butthistask
wascompletedbyhisstudentTiborSerly.)Thework’spremiereperformancewasgivennotby
thecomposer’swifebutbyGyörgySándor,anotherofBartók’sstudents,whoplayedthe
concertowiththePhiladelphiaOrchestrainFebruary1946,andfrequentlythereafter.
IntheThirdPianoConcerto,theangularlines,rhythmiccomplexitiesanddissonantharmonies
thatearnedBartókhisreputationasanuncompromisingmodernistgivewaytofamiliarkindsof
harmoniesandsingingmelodies.Whatpromptedthissimplificationofthecomposer’sidiom
remainsunclear.ItcertainlyaccordswiththepopulisttrendembracedbymanyAmerican
composersduringthelate1930sandearly1940s,aswellascorrespondingdevelopmentsin
muchEuropeanmusicoftheperiod.Inanyevent,thework’sresorttocompositionaltradition
extendstoitsoverallform,whichfollowsthetraditionalconcertodesignofthreemovementsin
afast–slow–fastpattern.
AlltheimportantthemesoftheopeningAllegrettoareimbuedwiththeflavorofHungarianfolk
music.Despiteafewfullyscoredpassages,muchofthemovemententailswonderfully
transparentorchestraltextures.Thesecondmovement,verymuchtheheartoftheconcerto,
unfoldsinamodifiedA–B–Adesign.Itsoutersectionsposespare,lucidpassagesforthe
orchestralstringsagainstshort,poeticphrasesforthepiano.(Thistypeofdialoguebetween
orchestraandpianorecallsthedramaticbutotherwisecomparableexchangesintheslow
movementofBeethoven’sFourthPianoConcerto.)ThecentralepisodebringsabitofBartókian
“nightmusic,”withevocationsofbirdandinsectsounds.Avariedrepriseoftheinitialsection
roundsoutthemovement.Thefinaleconveysajoyous,life-affirmingoutlookthatgivesnohint
ofitsauthor’sgraveillness.
WHATTOLISTENFOR
ThefirstmovementopenswiththepianosingingwhatsoundslikeaHungarianfolksongagainst
asoftmurmurfromtheorchestra.Later,thatthemereturnsagainstluminoustrillsinthe
strings.Thefinalmeasuresbringsuggestionsofbirdcallsfromtheflute,aharbingerofthingsto
come.
Slowlyunfolding,widelyspacedmusicforstringsalonebeginsthesecondmovement.Tothis
thepianorespondswithhymn-likephrases,initiatingaraptdialoguebetweensoloinstrument
andorchestra.Anepisodeofnocturnalnaturemusicintrudes.Returningatlasttothepianoorchestracolloquy,Bartóklargelysubstituteswoodwindsforthestringchoirheardearlierand
expandsthepianoparttoincludemorerhapsodicutterance. Heardrepeatedlyduringthecourseofthemovement,thefinale’sprincipalthemeestablishes
thepropulsiveenergythatmarksmanyofBartók’sclosingmovements.Betweenitsseveral
appearancesareepisodesthatincludeapairofcontrapuntalpassages.
Scoredforsolopiano;2flutes,theseconddoublingpiccolo;2oboes,theseconddoublingEnglish
horn;2clarinets,theseconddoublingbassclarinet;2bassoons;4horns,2trumpets,3
trombonesandtuba;timpani,percussionandstrings.
©2016PaulSchiavo