Hungarian composers

[Christopher]

" I find it hard to believe that the opening of the Fifth Door would not be accepted as one of the most viscerally exciting and almost overpoweringly grandiose moments in all opera.

Is there a link (maybe youtube or something) to this section that you can point us to?  I have never heard anything by Bartok that I have even remotely liked, and not for want of trying.  Maybe this piece will open the door to Bartok for me and he will cease to be a "sung who I just don't get"! (see earlier string on this topic...)

[Dundonnell]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdFIFPp64Bk

This is the link to paste into your browser to get the opening of the Fifth Door in a performance conducted by Georg Solti.

I fully understand  that musical taste is a very personal thing. I am by no means an opera buff-indeed, apart from Wagner, I don't listen to opera at all - but when Bluebeard in this opera flings open the door to reveal the extent of his vast domain and the orchestral brass thunder out those magnificent spreading chords, underpinned by the organ and timpani I am always completely overcome

....but-you see-I have a taste for grand/grandiose, over-the-top.  orchestral splendour

[Arbuckle]

Bravo, Dundonnell, more sounds!!!!! Yes!! Really liked your direction to Bluebeard, shall now listen to whole thing, some of my overwhelming musical moments: Organ entry last mvt St. Saens 3rd, Mahler Sym No. 8 Beginning VENI!!!, Beethoven's 5th pf cto, towards end, pf and orch quiet, quiet, quiet then PIANO!!! ORCHESTRA!!!!Sorry, can't help myself. Also look for Roentgen's Aus Faust, lovely big stuff. Gotta be in a dark room just oneself and big music and conduct, too, i.e. wave arms madly, try not to get caught...

[Dundonnell]

 

I must confess to having not one but two conductor's batons and have been known to give one a flourish now and then.........

I quite agree about the Saint-Saens Third and-although I happen to think that Rontgen's (new-found) renown is over-inflated-I was impressed by his Faust Cantata.

The other bit of music which totally does it for me would be the final ten minutes or so of Mahler's Resurrection Symphony-as conducted by people like Abbado, Rattle and Bernstein. I am not a Mahlerian but those last ten minutes are my idea of just what sublime heights music can reach

[jerfilm]

Well, we digress (so what else is new???)

but don't forget Alexandre Guilmant's Symphony #1 for organ and orchestra.  The finale of this one ALWAYS blows me away

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhvEfrxtGmw&feature=related

A live performance not available anywhere else.

Jerry

[Christopher]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdFIFPp64Bk

This is the link to paste into your browser to get the opening of the Fifth Door in a performance conducted by Georg Solti.

I fully understand  that musical taste is a very personal thing. I am by no means an opera buff-indeed, apart from Wagner, I don't listen to opera at all - but when Bluebeard in this opera flings open the door to reveal the extent of his vast domain and the orchestral brass thunder out those magnificent spreading chords, underpinned by the organ and timpani I am always completely overcome

....but-you see-I have a taste for grand/grandiose, over-the-top.  orchestral splendour

I LOVE it Dundonnell!

I think you should start a string, if you haven't already, of your favourite pieces of "grand/grandiose, over-the-top.  orchestral splendour".  I think you will find a lot of others share that taste!

[eschiss1]

I think there is such a string- but not in this subforum (and Guilmant isn't Hungarian, likewise )

[Dundonnell]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdFIFPp64Bk

This is the link to paste into your browser to get the opening of the Fifth Door in a performance conducted by Georg Solti.

I fully understand  that musical taste is a very personal thing. I am by no means an opera buff-indeed, apart from Wagner, I don't listen to opera at all - but when Bluebeard in this opera flings open the door to reveal the extent of his vast domain and the orchestral brass thunder out those magnificent spreading chords, underpinned by the organ and timpani I am always completely overcome

....but-you see-I have a taste for grand/grandiose, over-the-top.  orchestral splendour

I LOVE it Dundonnell!

I think you should start a string, if you haven't already, of your favourite pieces of "grand/grandiose, over-the-top.  orchestral splendour".  I think you will find a lot of others share that taste!

I am delighted that you like it

There are indeed many other such "climacteric" moments in music for me....but, yes, probably suited to another thread

[Alan Howe]

Yep, let's keep to things Hungarian here...

[Christopher]

I think there is such a string- but not in this subforum (and Guilmant isn't Hungarian, likewise )

Can someone provide a link to that thread?  I think I will get fired if I am found to be spending time in the office going through lists of threads!   

[Dundonnell]

I think there is such a string- but not in this subforum (and Guilmant isn't Hungarian, likewise )

Can someone provide a link to that thread?  I think I will get fired if I am found to be spending time in the office going through lists of threads!   

I have not been a member here for long enough to give you a proper answer....but there are two possibilities in page 30 of The Composers Section.

[eschiss1]

another request of interest (to me, of course ) - music by Ervin Lendvai (1882-1949), his symphony (in D, op.10) or chamber music, for example?

[JollyRoger]

I've opened a folder for Hungarian composers, beginning with premier performances of a couple of pieces by Miklós Rózsa, who was one of the great composers of Hollywood movie scores.

I find it incredible that no postings for Lászlo Lajtha appear in this folder, he is an extremely gifted composer.
9 symphonies, and much more..
http://www.musicweb-international.com/Balkan_discography/ECE_Balkan_Symphonies1.htm#LAJTHA

hear a sample:

http://www.concertzender.nl/programmagids.php?date=2011-08-22&month=-3&detail=50762

Composities van Lászlo Lajtha. (1892-1963) #6.
- Symfonisch gedicht Hortobagy.
- Variaties opus 44.
- Ouverture tot het ballet Lysistrata. Symfonieorkest van Pécs olv. Nicolás Pasquet. Marco Polo 8.223667, 8.223669 en 223672.

[Dundonnell]

I have discovered recordings in my possession of two works by Liszt with which I was unfamiliar

One is "The Legend of Saint Cecilia" and the other "The Bells of Strasbourg". They are both conducted by Janos Ferencsik.

Are these commercially available?

[eschiss1]

The Liszt works are both from a 2001 Hungaroton CD, but I don't know if it's still available.  I've read about them (and remember the description of the Strasbourg work, I believe) in Walker's biography (volume 3) but haven't heard them.