Kodály: Háry János Suite; Dances of Galánta; Peacock Variations

Kodály: Háry János Suite; Dances of Galánta; Peacock Variations

Kodály: Háry János Suite; Dances of Galánta; Peacock Variations

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CD Details

Composer: Kodaly
Composer: Zoltan Kodaly
Conductor: Yoel Levi
Orchestra: Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1996-11-12
Music Label: Telarc
Soundtracks:

I. Prelude, The Fairy Tale Begins (Con Moto)
II. Viennese Musical Clock (Allegretto)
III. Song (Andante, Poco Rubato)
IV. The Battle And The Defeat Of Napoleon (Alla Marcia)
V. Intermezzo (Andante Maestoso, Ma Con Fuoco)
VI. Entrance Of The Emperor And His Court (Alla Marcia)
Dances Of Galanta
Moderato
Var. 1 Con Brio
Var. II
Var. III Piu Mosso
Var. IV Poco Calmato
Var. V Appassionato
Var. VI Tempo (Calmato)
Var. VII Vivo
Var. VIII Piu Vivo
Var. IX
Var. X Molto Vivo
Var. XI Andante Espressivo
Var. XII Adagio
Var. XIII Tempo De Marcia Funebre
Var. XIV Andante, Poco Rubato
Var. XV Allegro Giocoso
Var. XVI Maestoso
Vivace

Music reviews of Kodály: Háry János Suite; Dances of Galánta; Peacock Variations

Music Review: A Very Fine Kodaly Program
Rating: 5 Stars

I find these to be very sensibly paced and articulated interpretations of three of Kodaly's most popular works. The most important work, "The Peacock Variations," is sometimes dismissed as indicative that Kodaly's growing conservatism had turned largely academic, that the composer was more interested in an exploration of musical form than of the Hungarian folk music that inspired the piece. I don't see it that way. Certainly, the Variations aren't breathtakingly innovative in the manner of the Unaccompanied Cello Sonata. On the strength of this latter composition and others of the teens, one might have supposed Kodaly would have developed into another Bartok, an uncompromising modernist who so internalized the Hungarian folk musical idioms as to create a whole new musical language, a language with few imitators. Instead, Kodaly did become much more conservative than Bartok--or rather Bartok's conservative, more listener-friendly phase came later than Kodaly's. (It should be remembered that music critics at first didn't forgive Bartok either for his growing conservatism.)

But conservative in idiom or not, the Variations are emotionally very satisfying, progressing from the early variations in which Kodaly seems content to pit different rhythms against one another, to the humorous faux orientalism of Variation X, to the increasingly somber and even tragic Variations XI and XII, musical high point of the work. These variations are followed, logically, by the funeral march of Variation XIII and the mysterious and emotionally equivocal Variation XIV. Short, swift Variation XV is little more than a bridge to the grand maestoso of Variation XV. This variation seems to me a musical picture of resolution and an obvious prelude to the life-affirming finale. While there is no obvious program here, written as they were at the beginning of World War II, the Variations are a message of obvious hope for Kodaly's own oppressed nation.

As I say, Levi takes an entirely sensible approach to the music, scrupulously following Kodaly's tempo markings. So Levi's Variation XV is maybe a little broader than I've heard it done by some conductors, but it is a true maestoso, and this has its obvious benefits, especially as contrast to the vivace of the finale. The Atlanta Symphony responds well to his lead, the brass emphasizing the dissonances in Variation XII to give it an even more unsettling quality.

Much the same can be said for the other pieces on this disc. In the Galanta Dances, Levi builds very convincingly to the Gypsy whirlwind that is the final dance in the series. And while I've never heard a bad performance of the crowd-pleasing Suite from Hary Janos, Levi's is suitably colorful and dynamic. Again, the Atlanta Symphony does an admirable job, catching well the note of gentle sarcasm in this music, especially in the Battle and Defeat of Napoleon. Fine, clear sound with plenty of oomph in the best Telarc manner.

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