Eugene Zádor

 

Eugene Zádor
1894-1977

I am always amazed at the lengths of some historical figures' lives. Take Eugene Zádor. Not only did he witness the Turn of the Century as a youth, he lived through two World Wars, and could have seen and heard Star Wars. Imagine the societal and commercial changes one could witness across Zádor's life.

While Zádor is usually first associated with film and Hollywood, notably after escaping Nazi Germany, like many other silver-screen composers of his time, film music was a way to make ends meet and supply revenue for 'serious' composing. Such a story is quite familiar in the 20th Century, akin to that of Korngold, Rosza, and Herrmann.

Luckily, Naxos, Mariusz Smolij, and the Budapest Symphony MÁV dedicated themselves to bringing Zádor's concert music to the modern listener. I think I count seven recordings which I will be covering on this blog from Naxos, perhaps with more to come in the future.

Recordings and reviews currently on hand
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Recordings

2012: Children's Symphony
2013: Divertimento
2015: Dance Symphony
2016: Biblical Triptych
2018: Plains of Hungary
2020: Sinfonia Technica
2023: Chamber Concerto