Hungarian Tradition

Music from the influential father figure of 20th century Hungarian music, Zoltan Kodaly. Played by the RIAS Symphonie Orchester Berlin under the Hungarian conductor, Ferenc Fricsay, so totally in tune with Kodaly's music. Kodaly taught composition at the Liszt academy in Budapest for over thirty years and influenced generations of Hungarians. He advocated and advanced a national Hungarian style with folk and gypsy influences. otherwise, his musical language was conservative, more in Keeping with a Brahms / Dvorak axis than the Schoenberg / Berg school. there are four pieces featured on the cd. The Hary Janos Suite is a tone poem about the exploits of a legendary Hungarian patriot, in concept similar to some of Richard Strauss's tome poems. Marosszeker Tanze and Tanze aus Galanta most clearly reflect folk influences ala Brahms / Dvorak. The final piece Psalmus Hungaricus sets a sacred text to another folk influenced background and the orchestra are augmented by their choir, a children's choir and the choir of St Hedwig's cathedral, together with tenor soloist Ernst Haefliger. The disk is an obvious labour of love by Fricsay.