Kodaly: Háry János Suite / Dances of Galanta (with Dohnanyi: Konzertstuck)
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ZOLTAN KODALY
Kodaly: Háry János Suite / Dances of Galanta (with Dohnanyi: Konzertstuck)
Janos Starker (cello); Seattle Symphony Orchestra / Gerard Schwarz
[ Naxos / CD ]
Release Date: Monday 2 July 2012
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When Kodály constructed a suite of music from his opera Háry János, he further immortalised the braggart soldier of the title. Dreamlike and fantastic, the six scenes are imbued with imaginative writing of sweeping intensity, embracing a love-duet, a mock-epic battle, a folk song, and a vigorous recruiting dance. In the Dances of Galánta he again employed the Hungarian verbunkos recruiting dance tradition to celebrate the eightieth anniversary of the Budapest Philharmonic Society. The Konzertstück of his compatriot and nearcontemporary Ernő Dohnányi is a full-scale cello concerto of considerable lyric beauty.
"We shouldn't be surprised anymore when the Seattle Symphony and Gerard Schwarz turn in idiomatic performances of late-romantic showpieces. Even after their marvelous Rimsky-Korsakov and Borodin, this still caught me off guard. These recordings, from 1989 and 1990, are terrific. The highlight is actually Kodály's beloved Dances of Galánta: Gerard Schwarz shapes the slow opening dances with such lusciousness and rhythmic flexibility that if they're under tempo I'm not sure it's noticeable; plus the Seattle Symphony has a sound big and rich enough to sustain attention over the longer span…all the woodwind solos are very fine indeed, the gradual increase in excitement is skillfully handled…
…the Háry János suite…is a very good performance: the Viennese Musical Clock chimes out with cheery accuracy, the following viola solo is…ear-catching, and the entire 'Song' is fantastic. The Seattle Symphony's rich, boldly colorful sound is at its best in the biggest climaxes, like in a battle scene which builds to wonderful heights from a measured initial pace, and also in basically any of the excellent woodwind solos-another element familiar from their newer Naxos recordings. It is a general truth that the composer's use of winds and trumpets correlates directly with the vividness of the playing.
Ernö von Dohnányi's Konzertstück for cello and orchestra is less colorful than the Kodály works, giving the program a contemplative heart. The slow movement begins after about six minutes, and is brief but poignant; the way that the cello, flute, oboe, and clarinet converse may remind one of Dvořák. The finale is the longest and most substantial…recalling earlier material and containing a cadenza and an ending which is the best, most moving part of an impassioned work. János Starker is the excellent soloist." MusicWeb
