Ormandy & Philadelphia re-recorded the Bartók in 1979 for RCA…
Philadelphia Orchestra – March 1962: Eugene Ormandy conducts Mozart (Symphony 30, K202) and Beethoven (Piano Concerto III, with Rudolf Firkušný), with rest of concert – Bartók (Concerto for Orchestra) – taken from Ormandy’s October ’63 CBS recording.
The Concerto for Orchestra was the last work Ormandy ever conducted – Philadelphia Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, New York City. He had actually taught the musicians this work in 1943-44. At every concert he conducted, the orchestral librarian would come out and place the score(s) for the first and second halves of the concert on the podium, and did so on this occasion for the Bartok.
But when Ormandy came out to conduct the work, he closed the score and dropped it on the floor next to the podium and directed this last performance from memory. The musicians, it seemed, knew that this was to be his last appearance with them (although of course it was never announced as such) – my friend said it was the greatest performance of the work he had ever heard.
Thanks Bob, just adding the concert’s date: January 10, 1984.