Kodály: Háry János Suite - Dances of Galánta & Marosszék.

Composer, researcher, folksong collector and pioneer of one of the world’s finest systems of music education, Zoltán Kodály drew on his native Hungary’s traditional music for inspiration. His 1933 Dances of Galánta is based on music—chiefly of the verbunkos “recruiting dance” tradition—from the Galánta region in which he lived for several years. The masterful Budapest Festival Orchestra and its conductor Iván Fischer, who studied with Kodály, relish the rich colours and punchy rhythms of this popular concert showpiece. The joyous Háry János Suite is brought vividly to life and again the orchestra acquits itself magnificently. From the first magnificent orchestral ‘sneeze’ to its final notes, Fischer packs in plenty of swagger, humour (listen out for the trombones on the battlefield) and sweet lyricism.