The strongest aspect of these performances is Gyorgy Pauk's supremely idiomatic playing. He may not have the virtuosity of Mullova or Midori, but there are only one or two moments when he sounds uncomfortable with the technical demands, and the Hungarian idioms of Concerto No. 2 flow naturally from his bow, unexaggerated yet full of character. He's strikingly successful, too, at seeing each movement as a whole. It's so easy for the first movement of Concerto No. 2, with its dramatic mood-swings, to sound disjointed, but here the march-tread of the opening remains somewhere in the background through most of the movement, giving it real coherence. RC, reviewing the recent Shaham/Boulez recording, commented that performances of this concerto which elongate Bartok's meticulous timings tend to miss something of the music's fiery spirit, and this version might also be thought rather easygoing by the side of Mullova, who stays close to Bartok's suggested tempos. She benefits, too, from a more sharply-focused recording. Though well balanced, this one lacks the last degree of definition and perspective - essential if Bartok's marvellously detailed orchestration is to make its full effect. The orchestral playing is accurate and spirited, but doesn't have the refinement that allows the BPO to give such a strong sense of direction to the first movement of the First Concerto for Midori, and to accentuate the grotesque features of its second movement.
Not a top recommendation, then, but Pauk's interpretations, thoughtful and strongly felt, are essential listening for Bartok enthusiasts.'