Listening guide · Béla Bartók
Concerto for Orchestra
Here the orchestra itself takes the spotlight. Across five movements, Bartók gives different instruments and sections exposed, demanding parts.
All listening guides · Explore Béla Bartók · Work and performances
Try listening for
Listen for the second movement’s procession of paired wind instruments. Each pair has a different sound and musical spacing. You can follow these changing voices without knowing the technical names for the intervals.
Reference recording
Listen to Bartók on YouTube ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Reference performers: Frankfurt Radio Symphony · Andrés Orozco-Estrada
Try the second movement for its instrumental pairs, or begin at the start for the work’s slower opening.
This recording introduces the composition. It is not a recording of a listed concert. External services control playback and account requirements.
Go deeper
The title describes the virtuosity expected throughout the ensemble. The second movement makes this especially easy to hear: bassoons, oboes, clarinets, flutes, and muted trumpets appear in pairs. For another perspective, explore the third movement, Elegia. Its atmospheric writing contrasts with the second movement’s playful exchanges. The finale returns to energetic orchestral display.
Sources and review
More about the work from the Boston Symphony Orchestra ↗
Listening notes reviewed October 13, 2026 as part of Mozart & Bartók. Original program source ↗.
Upcoming performances of this reviewed program
Mozart & Bartok · November 12, 2026 · Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre
Mozart & Bartók · November 14, 2026 · Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre