Composer: Georges Enescu, Johannes Brahms
Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Antal Dorati
Audio CD
Number of Discs: 1
Format: APE (image+cue)
Label: Mercury
Size: 352 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
This is the finest performance of the complete Hungarian Dances. Antal Dorati, a Hungarian himself and a specialist in dance music, handles each of these jewels with just the right combination of rhythmic control and schmaltz. Brahms orchestrated only a few of them; the remainder were done by friends (Dvorák included) or commissioned by various music publishers to fill out the complete set. In this respect, they are less substantial than Dvorák’s two sets of Slavonic Dances, which they in turn inspired. If you know only No. 5, or perhaps No. 1, then you owe it to yourself to hear this delightful collection. –David Hurwitz
01. Enescu: Roumanian Rhapsody in D, Op.11, No.2
02. Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.5 in G Minor
03. Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.6 in D Flat Major
04. Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.7 in A Major
05. Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.21 in E Minor
06. Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.11 in D Minor
07. Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.2 in D Minor
08. Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.1 in G Minor
09. Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.10 in F – Orchestrated by Brahms
10. Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.3 in F – Orchestrated by Brahms
11. Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.18 in D – Orchestrated by A. Dvorák (1841-1904)
12. Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.17 in F sharp minor – Orchestrated by A. Dvorák (1841-1904)
13. Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.19 in B minor – Orchestrated by A. Dvorák (1841-1904)
14. Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.20 in E minor – Orchestrated by A. Dvorák (1841-1904)
15. Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.12 in D minor – Orchestrated by Albert Parlow (?-1888)
16. Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.15 in B flat – Orchestrated by Albert Parlow (?-1888)
17. Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.4 in F sharp minor – Orchestrated by A. Hallén (1846-1925)
18. Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op.56a – Theme: “Chorale St. Antoni”
19. Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op.56a – Variation I: Poco più animato
20. Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op.56a – Variation II: Più vivace
21. Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op.56a – Variation III: Con moto
22. Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op.56a – Variation IV: Andante con moto
23. Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op.56a – Variation V: Vivace
24. Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op.56a – Variation VI: Vivace
25. Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op.56a – Variation VII: Grazioso
26. Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op.56a – Variation VIII: Presto non troppo
27. Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op.56a – Finale: Andante
Sprightly
Dorati was the one of the few of the great Hungarian conductors of the last century to record a sizable chunk of Brahms’s Hungarian Dances. Reiner recorded some in Vienna, and Ormandy recorded a few. Dorati just excels in this music. He is very definite as to the pacing he wants in this music. There is plenty of expression, almost too much in fact. The first eight of these numbers were recorded in 1957, and the sound is very good; but the second eight, recorded in 1965, offer absolutely stellar recorded sound, some of the best I’ve ever heard. As for the Haydn Variations, also recorded in 1957, this is one of the finest versions I’ve ever heard. Whether it’s the sound engineering or Dorati’s interpretation, all sorts of details I’ve never paid attention to before come through clearly in this rendition. The 1960 recording of Enescu’s 2nd Romanian Rhapsody is exquisite. I have this track on an analog cassette. The string sound there is somewhat warmer than on the CD, but the CD’s detail and dynamic range is just exceptional. This is one of the more treasurable issues in the Mercury Living Presence catalog.