Budapest Symphony Orchestra Mav Csanyi - Divertimentos 1 & 2 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Nordic Chamber Ensemble - It's All About Rhythm [COMPACT DISCS] date 01/22/2008

Leo Weiner's influence as a teacher in Budapest was exceptional and his pupils were some of the greatest musicians of the 20th century. But it's only in recent years that his compositions, with their synthesis of German Romantic and Hungarian elements, have been brought to wider appreciation. Like Csongor and Tunde, the symphonic poem Toldi was inspired by a masterpiece of Hungarian literature. Cast in twelve sections, the music follows the epic poetry in a way that seems to notate the text musically, a unique achievement. Weiner considered Toldi one of his most significant compositions, and he also composed two suites from the work.

The music of Eugene Zádor is both warmly expressive and colorful. The composer took great delight in writing for overlooked solo instruments, as his Trombone Concerto, garnished with elements of Hungarian folklore, clearly shows. The easy-going, gypsy-influenced Music for Clarinet and Strings is a beautifully proportioned quasi-concerto. The Sinfonia Technica, composed much earlier when he was living in Vienna, and something of a one-off, is an enchanting and exuberantly orchestrated example of 'industrial music'. Polish conductor Mariusz Smolij has garnered much critical acclaim from the international press, and has led over 130 orchestras in 28 countries. He currently serves as music director of the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra in Louisiana, the Riverside Symphonia in New Jersey and the International Karol Lipinski Violin Festival and Competition in Torun, Poland. His recordings for Naxos include releases of works by Andrzej Panufnik (8.570032), Tadeusz Szeligowski (8.570371), Eugene Zádor (8.572548, 8.573529, 8.573274, 8.572549 and 8.573800) and Ernst Bloch (8.570829). In 2015, his recording of music by female Polish composer Grazyna Bacewicz (8.573229) won the prestigious Fryderyk Award.