Barber Bartok Jarrett

Description

This record presents concert recordings from 1984 and 1985 in which he performs Samuel Barber’s Piano Concerto op.38 and Béla Bartók’s 3rd Piano Concerto, meeting the challenges of these major works. In the 1980s, in addition to his improvisational activities, Keith Jarrett devoted much of his time to performing classical music and composing contemporary music. Barber’s Concerto under the direction of Dennis Russell Davies was praised by the New York Times: “a fiery and vigorously lyrical performance... both sensitive and powerful,” while Bartók’s, conducted by Kazuyoshi Akiyama, received enthusiastic reviews in Japan. The album ends with an improvised encore, full of sensitivity, played at the end of the concert in Tokyo. The booklet includes notes by Keith Jarrett and Paul Griffiths. With this release on the New Series label, ECM marks Keith Jarrett’s 70th birthday (May 8, 2015), ahead of the release of the pianist’s new solo album on May 11.