Barber / Bartok

For much of the 1980s, Keith Jarrett balanced his improvisational activities with performances of classical music and contemporary composition. On this disc, with concert recordings from 1984 and 1985, he is heard playing Samuel Barbers Piano Concerto op. 38 and Béla Bartóks Piano Concerto No. 3, and rising to the challenges of these major works.

The New York Times praised Jarretts playing of the Barber with Dennis Russell Davies in this period (a sinewy, vigorously lyrical performance … both sensitive and strong), and the Bartók with Kazuyoshi Akiyama was most enthusiastically received in Japan.

After the Tokyo Bartók performance Jarrett returned alone to the stage of the Kan-i Hoken Hall to play a touching improvised encore, also documented on this recording. The album includes liner notes by Keith Jarrett and Paul Griffiths.

Barber Recorded: June 3, 1984 at Congresshalle, Saarbrücken
Recording Engineer: Helmut Fackler
Bartók Recorded: January 30th, 1985 at Kan-i Hoken Hall, Tokyo
Recording Engineer: unknown
DDD
Produced by Manfred Eicher