The genre 'pastorale héroïque? is a legacy of the grand siècle of Louis XIV and in the 18th century it only rarely reached the stage. But in the second period of his career it became Rameau's preferred genre: the more unconventional world of shepherds and nymphs gave him greater freedom in terms of dramatic action, stage décor and musical virtuosity compared to the tragédie lyrique. This is demons…
Composed in 1910/11, Bartók's Allegro barbaro is one of his best-known and most popular works for piano. The composer himself enjoyed performing it in concerts, and recorded it several times. The recording from 1929, which he referred to as the 'authentic recording?, contains very interesting divergences from the printed version as far as articulation, tempo and even the number of ostinato measure…
