Irén Marik - Bartók in the Desert: The Art of Irén Marik
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CD Details
Artist: Irén MarikPerformer: Irén Marik
Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
Composer: Bela Bartok
Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Composer: Johannes Brahms
Composer: Fryderyk Chopin
Composer: Claude Debussy
Composer: Franz Joseph Haydn
Composer: Zoltan Kodaly
Composer: Franz Liszt
Composer: Jean-Baptiste Lully
Composer: Maurice Ravel
Composer: Franz Schubert
Edition: Music CD
Format: Import
CD Release Date: 2004-11-30
Music Label: Arbiter
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
- Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude, for piano (Harmonies poétiques No
- Apparitions, No. 1
- Vallée d'Obermann (I), for violin, cello & piano (first version), S. 37
- Berceuse (I), for piano, in D flat major, S. 174/1 (LW A186/1)
- Harmonies du soir, for piano (Transcendental Etude No. 11), S. 139/11 (
- Les jeux d'eaux à la Ville d'Este, for piano (Années III/4), S. 163/4 (LW A
- Dances of Marosszék (Marosszéki táncok), for piano
- Rondo: Andante, for piano (Rondos on Slovak Folktunes No. 1), Sz. 84/1,
- [Part 1]
- [Part 2]
- [Part 3]
- [Part 4]
- No. 142. From the Diary of a Fly
- No. 140. Free Variations
- No. 141. Subject and Reflections
- No. 144. Minor Seconds and Major Sevenths
- [Part 2]
- Tierces alternées
- Etude for piano No. 13 in A flat major, Op. 25/1, CT. 26
- Cloches Ă travers les feuilles
- Poissons d'or
- Romanian Folk Dances (6) (Román népi táncok), for piano, Sz. 56, BB 68
- Impromptu for piano in E flat major, D. 899/2 (Op. 90/2)
- Evening in Transylvania (Este a székelyeknél), for piano (10 Easy Piece
- Vallée des Cloches
- Allegro non troppo
Music reviews of Bartók in the Desert: The Art of Irén Marik
Music Review: Yet another Arbiter discovery worth hearing - repeatedly
Rating: 5 Stars
"Bartok in the Desert: The Art of Ir'n Marik"
Arbiter 143
2 mid price CDs
Yet another Allan Evans discovery - yet another pianist transplanted to an unlikely area because of the social and political horrors abroad, and yes, another historical pianist who deserves a listen. In my opinion, this is a "discovery" at least as important as that of Ignace Tiegerman, and Iren Marik left us many, many more recordings to enjoy. I keep returning to her Liszt "Benediction de Dieu dans le solitude", her "Jeux d'eau a la Villa d'Este", and her Bartok.
Those of you who may have been underwhelmed by the recordings of Michal Hambourg in her old age should not overlook Iren Marik - many of these performances are from stereo recordings made in the 50s and 60s, and she was on top of her form. Her playing is vital and rhythmic - with just a touch more rubato than we are accustomed to hearing in Bartok today.
I would like to share some impressions on some of the performances included. The disc opens with Liszt's "Benediction de Dieu dans le solitude". Now, I must admit that I do not care for Liszt when he got in his religious mode and wrote things such as "Jesus takes a bubble bath" - but this piece caught me off guard. Her playing is spacious, her tone rich and full, with beautiful voicing. This work is taken from an old LP on the little-known Zodiac label, and the recording earned some strong praise from none other than Harold C. Schonberg, who said "This kind of singing line, with such an accurate mechanism to boot is not too common nowadays. It is to be hoped that Miss Marik is heard in more Liszt - or indeed anything she feels like playing". I also enjoyed her "Harmonies du soir", and ESPECIALLY her "Les jeux d'eau a la Villa d'Este", which I may dare to rank close to Arrau. Her attention to the inner voices here is especially nice.
She studied with Bela Bartok, but admitted that she only played one of his works for him - "he said it was fine, so there was no need to spend more time on his music." Bartok is represented here with the first Rondo on Folk Themes, the Suite op. 14 (a personal favorite), Allegro Barbaro, and a selection from Mikrokosmos. The Suite is an especially fine performance, and the Mikrokosmos selections are colorful. At first I did not like her Allegro Barbaro. It is a previously unpublished take (for good reason - there is at least one misreading and measures are left out) but after having lived with this CD for a couple of weeks, I have decided that there is much to learn from this performance otherwise, and I am glad that it was included.
Bartok's contemporary Zoltan Kodaly is also represented, with a rhythmically vital performance of the Dances from Marossz'k. Brahms is represented with the second of the op. 116 pieces, Beethoven with an impressive op. 109, Bach with a Sinfonia in D minor, ...and Debussy.
Her performance of the second book of Images is simply lovely. The sound of the 1974 vintage recording is quite good, and her variety of touch and immersion in the idiom make this a performance I will listen to repeatedly.
The transfers are all quite good - presumably from the original master tapes.
She was a contemporary of Etelka Freund, and if this is the only recording of hers that sees the light of day (Arbiter promises more), it alone is a more impressive legacy than what Freund left behind, in my opinion.
I recommend this release highly. Especially if you admire Liszt and Bartok.
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