Collected on a single CD are István Kertész’s complete orchestral recordings of Kodály’s music together with the choral song, ‘The Peacock’ which precedes the ‘Peacock Variations’. For thrill, swagger and colour – not to mention Decca’s state-of-the-art sound – these recordings set a benchmark by which all others will be measured. Reviewing the recordings of the ‘Háry János Suite’ and the ‘Dances of Galánta’, Edward Greenfield, in The Gramophone’s January 1965 edition, predicted that this would become something of a demonstration disc. How right he is!
ZOLTAN KODÁLY
The Peacock
Peacock Variations
Háry János: Suite
Dances of Galánta
Brighton Festival Chorus
London Symphony Orchestra
István Kertész
Recording Producers: Christopher Raeburn (The Peacock; Peacock Variations); Ray Minshull (Háry János: Suite; Dances of Galánta)
Balance Engineers: Colin Moorfoot, Kenneth Wilkinson (The Peacock; Peacock Variations); Kenneth Wilkinson (Háry János: Suite; Dances of Galánta)
Recording Location: Kingsway Hall, London, UK, February 1964 (Háry János: Suite); March 1964 (Dances of Galánta), July 1969 (The Peacock; Peacock Variations)
‘A winner from the start. The combination of conductor and orchestra could hardly fail in this brilliant, extrovert music, and with Decca’s most spectacular recording quality I imagine this will become something of a demonstration disc … ‘Dances from Galánta’, not quite so empty a piece of brilliance as Ravel’s ‘Bolero’ but almost in that category, is made to sound very convincing here, right from the moment when Barry Tuckwell’s horn lets out a marvellous sort of cock-a-doodle-doo at the beginning.’ (Háry János: Suite, Dances of Galánta) Gramophone
‘These splendid variations, worked out with unfailing resource, receive brilliant and refined playing from the LSO. A most successful record.’ (Peacock Variations) Gramophone