[78-L] Bartok Sampler

[David Lennick]

Michael Biel wrote:
> From: Malcolm Smith <malcolms at redshift.com>
>> There are a lot of recordings of Bela Bartok made before he became 
>> ill and was dumped by Columbia University to die a pauper in NY. An 
>> American embarrassment if ever there was one. There are also 
>> recordings of his wife, Dita Pastory playing his works.
> 
> Didn't Koussy keep Bartok alive with his commissioning of the Concerto
> for Orchestra?  Don't expect universities to do the right thing.  That's
> how they are.  Bartok Records was run by Bela's son Peter, who recently
> retired.  I just picked up an early LP on the label with some of the
> transcribed folksongs with piano acc. by Bela and Dita.  I have the
> Hungaroton box sets with the studio, home, and broadcast recordings of
> Bela.  I'm not sure if the recordings on the Bartok Records LP are on
> the Hungariton boxes.  I also have the box that has some of the original
> cylinders Bela recorded of peasants in Hungary and maybe Rumania. While
> I have the Hungariton sampler LP of the Bartok box set series, I don't
> have the sampler that dl asks about.
> 
> Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com  
> 

Peter reissued a lot of Bartok's recordings including private lacquers and the 
HMVs of the folk songs, and those all made it into the Hungaroton box sets. I 
think the only ones PB didn't reissue were the Continentals and the Concerto 
and other pieces that were on LP courtesy of Remington and Vox.

PB also did a lot of new recording, not just of Bartok compositions..BS 001 
(which I've owned since I was 7) consisted of music composed or arranged for 
string quartet by Bartok and Stravinsky.

Has any of the Bartok label ever been reissued on CD? I know Peter was still 
selling remaining LP stock for years.

dl