István Kertész – The London Years (FLAC)

Composer: Béla Bartók, Johannes Brahms, Anton Bruckner, Antonín Dvořák, George Gershwin, Zoltan Kodály, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sergei Prokofiev, Maurice Ravel, Ottorino Respighi, Franz Joseph Strauss, Richard Strauss
Performer: Christa Ludwig, Walter Berry, Pilar Lorengar, Erszebet Komlossy, Robert Ilosfalvy, Tom Krause, Gyorgy Melis, Peter Ustinov, John Leach, Olga Szönyi, Lajos Kozma, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Clifford Curzon, William Bennett, Barry Tuckwell, Julius Katchen, Ambrosian Singers, Edinburgh Festival Chorus, London Symphony Chorus, Brighton Festival Chorus, Wandsworth School Boys Choir
Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: István Kertész
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Decca
Catalogue: 4786420
Release: 2014
Size: 3.69 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover

CD 01
Bartók: Bluebeard’s Castle, BB 62, Op. 11
01. Opening Scene. “Megérkeztünk”
02. Door 1. “Jaj!…Mit látsz? Mit látsz?…Láncok, kések”
03. Door 2. “Mit látsz?…Százkegyetlen szörnyü fegyver”
04. Door 3. “Oh, be sok kincs! Oh, be sok kincs!”
05. Door 4. “Oh! virágok! Oh! ilatoskert!”
06. Door 5. “Ah!” “Lásdez az én birodalmam”
07. Door 6. “Csendes fehér tavat látok”
08. Door 7. “Lásd a régi aszszonyokat”

CD 02
Brahms: Serenade No.1 in D, Op.11
01. 1. Allegro molto
02. 2. Scherzo (Allegro non troppo) – Trio (Poco più moto)
03. 3. Adagio non troppo
04. 4. Menuetto I-II
05. 5. Scherzo (Allegro)
06. 6. Rondo (Allegro)

Brahms: Serenade No.2 in A, Op.16
07. 1. Allegro moderato
08. 2. Scherzo (Vivace)
09. 3. Adagio non troppo
10. 4. Quasi menuetto – Trio
11. 5. Rondo (Allegro)

CD 03
Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 in E flat major – “Romantic” – Version 1880 Ed. Nowak
01. 1. Bewegt, nicht zu schnell
02. 2. Andante quasi allegretto
03. 3. Scherzo (Bewegt) – Trio (Nicht zu schnell. Keinesfalls schleppend)
04. 4. Finale (Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell)

CD 04
Dvořák: Symphony No.7 in D Minor, Op.70, B.141
01. 1. Allegro maestoso
02. 2. Poco adagio
03. 3. Scherzo (Vivace)
04. 4. Finale (Allegro)

Dvořák: Symphony No.8 in G Major, Op.88, B.163
05. 1. Allegro con brio
06. 2. Adagio
07. 3. Allegretto grazioso – Molto vivace
08. 4. Allegro ma non troppo

09. Dvořák: Carnival, Op. 92, B.169

CD 05
Dvořák: Requiem, Op. 89, B.165
01. Requiem aeternam
02. Graduale
03. Dies irae
04. Tuba mirum
05. Quid sum miser
06. Recordare, Jesu pie
07. Confutatis maledictis
08. Lacrimosa
09. Offertorium (Domine, Jesu Christe)
10. Hostias

CD 06
Dvořák: Requiem, Op. 89, B.165
01. Sanctus
02. Pie Jesu
03. Agnus Dei

Dvořák: Serenade in D Minor, Op. 44, B.77
04. 1. Moderato, quasi marcia
05. 2. Minuetto (Tempo di minuetto)
06. 3. Andante con moto
07. 4. Finale (Allegro molto)

08. Dvořák: Othello, Op. 93, B.174
09. Dvořák: The Noonday Witch, Op. 108, B.196

CD 07
Kodály: Háry János, Op. 15
01. Introduction & Overture

Kodály: Háry János, Singspiel in 5 Scenes, Op. 15 – original version – Act 1
02. The Hussar’s Flute Solo
03. The Old Woman
04. The Jewish Family
05. The Hungarian Girls
06. Örzse’s Song: Sej! verd meg Isten
07. Duet – Red Apple: Piros alma leesett a sárba
08. Uncle Marczi’s Drinking Song: ó, mely sok hal
09. Love Duet: Tiszán innen, Dunán túl
10. Intermezzo

Kodály: Háry János, Singspiel in 5 Scenes, Op. 15 – original version – Act 2
11. Cuckoo Song: Ku- ku- kukuskám
12. The Wild Stallion
13. The Viennese Musical Clock
14. Örsze’s Love Song: Hogyan tudtál rószám
15. Chicken Song: Hej két tikom tavali
16. Soldiers’ Chorus: ébresztö Férfikar

Kodály: Háry János, Singspiel in 5 Scenes, Op. 15 – original version – Act 3
17. Entry of the French
18. Entry of Napoleon
19. Funeral March
20. Napoleon’s Song: óh te vén sü-lü-lü-lü
21. Gipsy Music
22. Bombazine’s Song: A jó lovas katonátak
23. Song of the Hussar (Toborzó): A jó lovas katonának

Kodály: Háry János, Singspiel in 5 Scenes, Op. 15 – original version – Act 4
24. Duet with Chorus: Gyútottam gyertyát
25. Entry of the Emperor

CD 08
Kodály: Háry János, Singspiel in 5 Scenes, Op. 15 – original version – Act 4
01. Entry and Song of the Princes: á, bé, cé, dé
02. Exit of the Princes
03. Örsze’s Song: Szegény vagyok
04. Háry’s Song: Felszántom a császár udvarát
05. Finale: Szegény derék, magyar nép

06. Kodály: The Peacock (Fölszállot a páva), for unaccompanied chorus

Kodály: Variations on a Hungarian Folk Song for Orchestra, “The Peacock”
07. 1. Moderato (Theme)
08. 2. Con brio (Variations I-VI)
09. 3. Vivo (Variations VII-X)
10. 4. Andante espressivo (Variations XI-XII)
11. 5. Tempo di marcia funebre (Variations XIII-XVI)
12. 6. Finale: Vivace

Kodály: Psalmus hungaricus, Op. 13
13. Mikoron Dávid nagy búsultában
14. Keserusegem (withoutfollowing orchestral passage)
15. Te azért lelkem
16. Igaz vagy Uram

CD 09
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 9 in E flat, K.271 – “Jeunehomme”
01. 1. Allegro
02. 2. Andantino
03. 3. Rondeau (Presto)

04. Mozart: Maurerische Trauermusik, K.477

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491
05. 1. Allegro
06. 2. Larghetto
07. 3. (Allegretto)

CD 10
Respighi: Pines of Rome
01. The Pines of Villa Borghese (I pini di Villa Borghese)
02. The Pines near a Catacomb (Pini presso una catacomba)
03. The Pines of the Janiculum (I pini del Gianicolo)
04. The Pines of the Appian Way (I pini della Via Appia)

Respighi: The Birds (Gli uccelli)
05. 1. Prelude
06. 2. The Dove (La colomba)
07. 3. The Hen (La gallina)
08. 4. The Nightingale (L’usignolo)
09. 5. The Cuckoo (Il cuccù)

Respighi: Fountains of Rome
10. The Fountain of Valle Giulia (La fontana di Valle Giulia all’alba)
11. The Triton Fountain (La fontana di Tritone al mattino)
12. The Fountain of Trevi (La fontana di Trevi al meriggio)
13. The Villa Medici Fountain (La fontana di Villa Medici al tramonto)

CD 11
Strauss R: Horn Concerto No.1 in E flat, Op.11
01. Allegro
02. Andante
03. Allegro-Rondo (Allegro)

Strauss F: Horn Concerto, Op. 8
04. 1. Allegro molto
05. 2. Andante
06. 3. Allegro molto

Strauss R: Horn Concerto No. 2 in E flat
07. Allegro non troppo
08. Andante con moto
09. Rondo (Allegro molto)

10. Ravel: Piano Concerto in D Major for the Left Hand
11. Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue

CD 12
Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 3, BB 127, Sz. 119
01. 1. Allegretto
02. 2. Adagio religioso
03. 3. Allegro vivace

Ravel: Piano Concerto in G Major, M. 83
04. 1. Allegramente
05. 2. Adagio assai
06. 3. Presto

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.3 in C, Op.26
07. 1. Andante – Allegro
08. 2. Tema con variazione
09. 3. Allegro ma non troppo

During the ten years that Hungarian conductor István Kertész made recordings for Decca he produced a body of recordings which quickly established themselves as top choices for the record buying public. His recordings for Decca mainly took place in London and Vienna. The wide variety of recordings he made in London is demonstrated in the present collection.


The death of Hungarian born conductor István Kertész in a drowning accident off the coast of Israel in April 1973 was a colossal tragedy, and a huge loss to the musical world. Fortunately for future generations, he left a legacy of choice recordings covering a wide range of core classical repertoire.


The present collection also features examples of the conductor’s collaborations with three major pianists spanning several generations: Clifford Curzon, Julius Katchen and Vladimir Ashkenazy. A further benchmark disc includes Barry Tuckwell’s performances of horn concertos by Richard Strauss and his father. It became a reference point for brass players worldwide.