Esa-Pekka Salonen - Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra, Sz. 116 & Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta, Sz. 106 (1996)

Here are two outstanding performances of Bartók's greatest orchestral works. The creepy first and third movements of the Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta appeared as mood music in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining (remember the "river of blood" scenes?), but the other two movements are full of healthy Hungarian dance rhythms. The Concerto for Orchestra was Bartók's last completed work, and it instantly became his most popular. Esa-Pekka Salonen and his Angelenos treat the music with extreme virtuosity--the tempo of the finale, in particular, is amazing. Moreover, Sony has captured this evocative and colorful music in sound of extraordinary range and depth. There's a bass-drum thwack in the first movement of Music that might blow up your system if you're not careful. Great stuff. -- David Hurwitz