Bela Bartok composed the score for his “Concerto for Orchestra” in only two months at the health resort of Saranac Lake in upstate New York, and he completed on October 8, 1943.
The first performance, an enormous success with audience and critics, was given by the Boston Symphony under Serge Koussevitzky on December 1, 1944.
The composer, in Boston for the premiere with his wife, Ditta Pásztory, reported:
“We went there for the rehearsals and performances – after having obtained the grudgingly granted permission of my doctor for this trip…. The performance was excellent. Koussevitzky says it is the ‘best orchestra piece of the last 25 years’ (including the works of his idol, Shostakovich!).”
Here is Karina Canellakis leading a performance of Concerto For Orchestra by Bela Bartok:
