Edition Geza Anda, Vol. 4 (1952, 1953, 1957) (Bela Bartok)

Album review

Although one of his first major accomplishments was an unprecedented cycle of the Mozart piano concertos, it is for his performance of the works of Béla Bartók that Géza Anda is chiefly remembered. The concertos in particular became a cornerstone of his concert repertoire, having performed them hundreds of times and recorded them each on several occasions. He was equally fond of the "smaller" works for piano, especially Contrasts and the Sonata for two pianos and percussion, which he performed often with Georg Solti on the second piano part. This two-disc set features CD premiere releases of several of Anda's earlier Bartók performances. The First and Second concertos are performed live with the Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester in 1957 and 1952, respectively. Anda's command of the score is as clear as ever, but neither the orchestra (which is constantly sloppy and rhythmically inaccurate) nor the sound quality of the CD (a monaural recording which has not been remastered with exceptional clarity) do him any favors. Subsequent recordings that Anda made of these two concertos maintain his musical intensity, but also offer superior sound quality and orchestral accompaniments. The second disc in the set features Contrasts, the Suite for Piano, Op. 14, and the aforementioned Sonata for two pianos and percussion played with Solti. Anda's recordings of these works are more difficult to come by, and although sound quality is still an issue, it is an acceptable shortcoming to be able to hear Anda's impassioned interpretations of these works.
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