Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin

Truly Miraculous?

Explore the sumptuous colors and eroticism of this dramatic tale captured in Bartók’s symphonic pantomime The Miraculous Mandarin. Its provocative subject matter and wildly dissonant sonorities were considered shocking in 1926. Now a staple of the symphonic repertoire, Bartók’s landmark score had to wait until 1945, just weeks after his death, for its premiere performance in his native Budapest. In this Beyond the Score® program we survey the rich and fascinating complexity of Bartók's composition. By examining the music itself we see why this work had a difficult time achieving performances.

54min

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Pierre Boulez conductor
Gerard McBurney creative director
Daniel Allar actor

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Beyond the Score® receives support from the following generous contributors:
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Bruce and Martha Clinton, on behalf of The Clinton Family Fund;
and Walter & Karla Goldschmidt Foundation.