Bartok: The Miraculous Mandarin & Con For Orch [CD]
Bela Bartok's Miraculous Mandarin was premiered 100 years ago, on 27 November 1926. The evening ended in chaos and is regarded as one of the most high-profile theatre scandals, certainly the biggest since the premiere of Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring in Paris a few years earlier. Causing shock among the public - perhaps because there is nothing miraculous in the fairy-tale sense - the work is in Bartok's own words 'hellish with instruments clanging, clattering and blaring'. Today, it's realism, rhythmic melody and harmony still inspire awe. Released to coincide with the centenary of it's premiere, this second album in Cristian Macelaru and WDR Sinfonieorchester's Bartok series pairs the Mandarin with the composer's other major work for orchestra, the Concerto for Orchestra. Unlike the former, the reception was a triumph.
Tracklist:
- Concerto for Orchestra, Sz.116-Introduzione
- Concerto for Orchestra, Sz.116-Presentando Le Coppie
- Concerto for Orchestra, Sz.116-Elegia
- Concerto for Orchestra, Sz.116-Intermezzo Interrotto
- Concerto for Orchestra, Sz.116-Finale
- Miraculous Mandarin, SZ. 73-Introduction: A Bustling City Street
- Miraculous Mandarin, SZ. 73-First Decoy Game
- Miraculous Mandarin, SZ. 73-Second Decoy Game
- Miraculous Mandarin, SZ. 73-Third Decoy Game
- Miraculous Mandarin, SZ. 73-The Mandarin Enters
- Miraculous Mandarin, SZ. 73-At Last She Overcomes Her Reluctance and Begins a Hesitant Dance
- Miraculous Mandarin, SZ. 73-A Wild Chase Begins
- Miraculous Mandarin, SZ. 73-The Three Tramps Leap Out, Seize the Mandarin
- Miraculous Mandarin, SZ. 73-Suddenly the Mandarin's Head Appears
- Miraculous Mandarin, SZ. 73-The Terrified Tramps Again Consider How They Are to Get Rid of the Mandarin
- Miraculous Mandarin, SZ. 73-The Hanging Body of the Mandarin Begins to Glow
- Miraculous Mandarin, SZ. 73-The Mandarin Falls on the Floor
UPC: 691062080620
Label: Linn Records
Release Date: 10.23.26
Format: CD
Original Release Date: October 23, 2026
