Zádor: Plains of Hungary

 

The music on Volume 5 of Naxos' Eugene Zádor series is a little more melancholic than others, a sound I tie to a certain mid-Century Americana voice too. Two of the titles offered here have Zádor's native Hungary in mind, yet I don't inherently recognize a Nationalistic element from the composer either. In addition to such musical feelings, the listener is offered a few concertante works, ones written for solo instruments you don't usually hear from in the concert hall.

The Dance Overture is a splendid opening to the program, easily lifting the spirits of the listener. I daresay, this may be my favorite selection from the program.

Zádor features the Double Bass in his Fantasia Hungarica, an instrument the composer sets in its highest reaches as a soloist. As previously mentioned, aside from a Scotch Snap rhythm, I don't hear an outward Hungarian musical influence. The first movement is more lyrically meandering, while the second bears a stronger tune amidst a playful musical setting. The Rhapsody for Cimbalom brings the dulcimer-like instrument to the fore, an instrument not often married to symphony orchestra. To me, this work sounds more like a Theme and Variations, for the nursery-rhyme style melody is put through many different guises. Contrastingly, The Plains of Hungary is rather pastoral in nature, with a significant contribution from a solo clarinet, balanced a little too far forward in this recording.

The melody attached to the Variations on a Merry Theme is less readily identifiable than the Cimbalom Rhapsody, but I recognize parts of the tune as the music goes on. Here, Zádor takes extra steps to highlight instruments and instrumental sections across the orchestra, including unexpected solo appearances from the saxophone and piano. By the time of the halfway mark (about 10 minutes in), most of the variations have passed, leaving a lot of time left over to fill. I kind-of feel like the work is simply too long, something I would probably attach to the following Rhapsody for Orchestra as well. As in Volume 4, I think Zádor simply didn't know when to stop.

There is a spareness to the musical landscape running across some of these works, an element I haven't really noticed from the composer thus far. That is why I often use the term mid-Century Americana, for this music bears a similar sound to that style, especially as I grasp for a musical comparison. Yes, there are times I could add the name Béla Bartók as a descriptor, yet Zádor's music is lusher and friendlier compared to that more famous Hungarian composer. Plus, when Zádor wants to lay it on thick, he does so with no regrets.

Really, there is a wealth of music on this volume, coming in at 78 minutes total. As in all of the previous Naxos entries, Mariusz Smolij leads the Budapest Symphony Orchestra with energy and skill. Pleasingly, I wasn't as aware of the sonics as I have been in the past, so we will see if that aspect holds out.

 

 

 

Works
Dance Overture (7.32)
Fantasia Hungarica (11.03)
Plains of Hungary (9.32)
Rhapsody for Cimbalom (12.14)
Variations on a Merry Theme (22.20)
Rhapsody for Orchestra (14.59)

Soloists
Zsolt Fejérvári, double bass
Kálmán Balogh, cimbalom

Ensemble
Budapest Symphony Orchestra MÁV

Mariusz Smolij, conductor 

Label: Naxos
Year: 2018
Total Timing: 77.51

 

 

 

 

 

I am slightly undecided regarding this particular program of Zádor's Orchestral and Concertante works.

Yet, this is solid music to explore, across the board. Aided in no small part by the advocacy of this ensemble and its director on Naxos.

Let's call it a win for now, if not a runaway success.

 

 

 

Find more Zádor recordings HERE!