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Bartók: The Wooden Prince, Op. 13, Sz. 60 & The Miraculous Mandarin Suite, Op. 19, Sz. 73

6/7/2019, 14 Tracks, 1:13:07

Susanna Mälkki and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra release their first album together since she became chief conductor in 2016. They perform Béla Bartók's two ballets, The Wooden Prince and The Miraculous Mandarin, the latter in its shorter concert suite version. While The Wooden Prince is a fairytale, The Miraculous Mandarin is a dark story set in the city, which caused a scandal at its 1926 premiere.

Featuring

  • Susanna Mälkki
  • Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Béla Bartók

Did you know?

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Composition History

Béla Bartók's ballet The Wooden Prince was composed between 1914 and 1917 and premiered in Budapest in May 1917.

Source: Booklet

Critical Reception

The Miraculous Mandarin was withdrawn after its 1926 premiere in Cologne due to its controversial subject matter and was not performed again in the theatre until after Bartók's death in 1945.

Source: Booklet

Performer Biography

The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, featured on this recording, is the first professional symphony orchestra founded in the Nordic countries, established in 1882.

Source: Booklet

Composition History

The Miraculous Mandarin, a 'pantomime grotesque' by Bartók, was drafted shortly after The Wooden Prince but its orchestration was delayed by five years, premiering in Cologne in 1926.

Source: Booklet

Performer Biography

The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra gave the first performances of almost all of Jean Sibelius's symphonic works between 1892 and 1923, often with the composer himself conducting.

Source: Booklet

Performer Biography

Susanna Mälkki, the conductor on this album, was the first woman to conduct a production at Teatro alla Scala, Milan, in 2011.

Source: Booklet

Performer Biography

Before becoming a conductor, Susanna Mälkki had a successful career as a cellist and was a principal player in the Gothenburg Symphony.

Source: Booklet

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