BARTOK/ - THE WOODEN PRINCE/ Mercury Liviving Presence SR90426 Gold (Promotional Copy)

BARTOK (1891-1945)/THE WOODEN PRINCE COMPLETE/MERCURY LIVING PRESENCE SR90426,”FOR BROADCAST ONLY NOT FOR SALE” printed on gold label. Antal Dorati, London Symphony.

Bartok himself was surprised when conductor Egisto Tango insisted on thirty rehearsals for the premiere of The Wooden Prince. The thoroughness of the Budapest Opera’s preparations for this production in May 1917 portended a swing in the 36-year-old composer’s fortunes. Till then, both performances and publication for his works had been hard to come by. His one previous dramatic work, the opera Bluebird’s Castle (1911), had not yet achieved a hearing. But The Wooden Prince was acclaimed by press and public, and everything changed. Bluebird was mounted in the following year, and from this time on Bartok’s position was such he could count on fairly rapid circulation, both aural and printed, for his music.

The composition of the Wooden Prince---subtitled “A Dancing –Play”, but to all intents and purposes a normal ballet—occupied Bartok from 1914 to 1916.

Side A: …19:27
Side B: …27:43

Vinyl Condition: Side A, RFR 4, EX++, Side B, RFR 2, EX++. Jacket: EX, (Promotional Copy Not For Sale, stamp on back of jacket). Buy with confidence, please check my feedback’s, your purchase guaranteed. Thanks for viewing,