Surveying the history of music in Hungary. Hungary was settled by the Magyars in the late 9th century and in 1000 became a state. After adopting Latin Christianity in the 11th century, the country’s rich musical heritage of church music started: Gregorian plainchants, and later in the Middle Ages with fully realized polyphonic singing. Bill picks it up from there with the blending of religious music and ethnic folksongs from the countryside, reflected in the music of Liszt, Kodály, and Bartók. And let’s not forget the influences of Hungarian gypsy music and Transylvanian dances.
Magnificent Magyars
Playlist
Episode 1
Traditional: The Beginnings of Polyphonic Church Music in Hungary
Mandel Quartet
Ungaresca: 500 Years’ Hungarian Music
Hungaroton 31429; 6:38
Traditional: Music from the Court of King Matthias (excerpt)
Mandel Quartet
Ungaresca: 500 Years’ Hungarian Music
Hungaroton 31429; 2:14
Márk Rózsavölgyi: Csárdás (excerpts)
Budapest Strings
Orchestral Music (Hungarian) – KAUER, F. / CSERMAK, A. / ROZSAVOLGYI, M. / WEINER, L. (Hungarian Dances)
Capriccio 10528; 1:28, :33, 1:48
Valentin Bakfark: Fantasia & Galliard for Lute
Benko Consort
On 7 Instruments
Hungaroton 31564; 4:40
Traditional: Dances from the Vietoris Book of Tablature
Mandel Quartet
Ungaresca: 500 Years’ Hungarian Music
Hungaroton 31429; 4:39
Traditional: Three Litanies from Janos Kajoni’s Missal
Mandel Quartet
Ungaresca: 500 Years’ Hungarian Music
Hungaroton 31429; 4:55
Traditional Dances from a Pozsony Manuscript
Mandel Quartet
Ungaresca: 500 Years’ Hungarian Music
Hungaroton 31429; 4:10
Anton Csermák: Vaterlandsliebe (excerpt)
Budapest Strings
Orchestral Music (Hungarian) – KAUER, F. / CSERMAK, A. / ROZSAVOLGYI, M. / WEINER, L. (Hungarian Dances)
Capriccio 10528; 1:47
Peter Esterházy: Harmonia Caelestis (excerpts)
Mandel Quartet
Ungaresca: 500 Years’ Hungarian Music
Hungaroton 31429; 13:29
Traditional: Hajdu Song & Dance
Mandel Quartet
Ungaresca: 500 Years’ Hungarian Music
Hungaroton 31429; 4:52
Episode 2
Joseph Haydn: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 11, III
Norwegian Chamber Orchestra
Piano Concertos Nos. 4, 3 & 11
EMI 56960; 4:17
Anton Csermák: Vaterlandsliebe (excerpts)
Budapest Strings
Orchestral Music (Hungarian) – KAUER, F. / CSERMAK, A. / ROZSAVOLGYI, M. / WEINER, L. (Hungarian Dances)
Capriccio 10528; 1:41, :53
Márk Rózsavölgi: Three Csdárás
Budapest Strings
Orchestral Music (Hungarian) – KAUER, F. / CSERMAK, A. / ROZSAVOLGYI, M. / WEINER, L. (Hungarian Dances)
Capriccio 10528; 8:32
Hector Berlioz: Rákóczy March from The Damnation of Faust
LSO/Davis
Les Troyens
Phil 156143; 4:54
Ferenc Erkel: Bánk Bán (excerpts)
Budapest Phil/Ferencsik
Bánk Bá
Hungaroton 11376; 2:58, 7:27, 4:42
Franz Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 9: “Carnival in Pest”
Cziffra, piano
10 Hungarian Rhapsodies
EMI 67555; 9:53, 2:17
Episode 3
Franz Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 1 in f minor
LSO/Dorati
Antal Dorati Conducting The London Symphony Orchestra* – Roumanian Rhapsody No. 1 / Hungarian Rhapsodies Nos. 1-6
Mercury 432015; 10:42
Ferenc Erkel: Hunyadi Laszló (excerpts)
Hungarian State Opera Orchestra & Chorus
Hunyadi László / Kovács, Sass, Gulyás, Kalmár
Hungarotron 12581; 12:27, 5:20
Joseph Joachim: Violin Concerto No. 2, In the Hungarian Style, III
CSO/Kalmar; Barton Pine, violin
Violin Concertos / Rachel Barton
Cedille 68; 10:58
Johannes Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77, finale
CSO/Kalmar; Barton Pine, violin
Violin Concertos / Rachel Barton
Cedille 68; 8:18
Johannes Brahms: Quartet for Piano and Strings No. 1 in g minor, Op. 25, IV (excerpt)
Kremer, violin; Bashmet, viola; Argerich, piano; Maisky, violoncello
ARGERICH · KREMER · BASHMET · MAISKY JOHANNES BRAHMS
Piano Quartet · Klavierquartett No. 1 Op. 25
DG 463700; 2:41
Episode 4
Franz Lehár: Waltz from The Merry Widow
Philharmonia Hungarica/Dorati
Wienerwalzer Paprika / Antal Dorati
Mercury 434338; 6:20
Franz Lehár: Hungarian Fantasy, Op. 45
Cincinnati Pops/Kunzel; McDuffie, violin
Viennese Violin / McDuffie, Kunzel, Cincinnati Pops
Telarc 80402; 7:58
Béla Bartók: Kossuth, Sz. 21 (excerpt)
Budapest Festival Orch/Fisher
Concerto For Orchestra, Kossuth / Fischer
Philips 689002; 7:18
Zoltán Kodály: “Youth is Like a Falcon”, “The Price of Wine on Mohovce Hill” & “Little Apple Fell Into the Mud”
Von Otter, mezzo-soprano; Forsberg, piano
Folksongs / Von Otter, Forsberg
DG 463479; 5:05
Zoltán Kodály: Three Hungarian Folksongs
Oistrakh, violin; Ginsburg, piano
Archduke Trio; Schubert, et al / Oistrakh
EMI 69367; 4:12
Zoltán Kodály: Dances of Galanta
Philadelphia Orch/Ormandy
Sinfonietta, Etc; Kodály: Dances / Szell, Ormandy
Sony 62404; 15:17
Zoltán Kodály: “Drinking Wine on a Sunday”
Von Otter, mezzo-soprano; Forsberg, piano
Folksongs / Von Otter, Forsberg
DG 463479; 1:12
Episode 5
Leò Weiner: Divertimento, Op. 20 No. 5: Csürdöngölo
Budapest Strings
Orchestral Music (Hungarian) – KAUER, F. / CSERMAK, A. / ROZSAVOLGYI, M. / WEINER, L. (Hungarian Dances)
Capriccio 10528; 2:21
Béla Bartók: Concerto for Two Pianos, Percussion & Orchestra, III
Concertgebouw/Zinman – Argerich, piano; Freiere, piano
Concerto For 2 Pianos, Perc & Orch, Etc / Zinman
Phil 416378; 6:28
Sándor Veress: Lassú from Four Transylvanian Dances
Camerata Bern/Zehetmair
Verklärte Nacht
ECM 1714; 3:29
György Ligeti: Four Wedding Dances
Philharmonia Orch & King’s Singers members
Gyorgy Ligeti Edition Vol. 4 – Vocal Works / Salonen
Sony 62311; 4:58
György Ligeti: Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet (excerpts)
Ensemble Wein-Berlin
20th Century Wind Music / Wien-Berlin
Sony 48052; 5:37
Leò Weiner: Divertimento
Budapest Strings
Orchestral Music (Hungarian) – KAUER, F. / CSERMAK, A. / ROZSAVOLGYI, M. / WEINER, L. (Hungarian Dances)
Capriccio 10528; 1:27
Zoltán Kodály: Háry János Suite
CSO/Solti
Solti – Mephisto Magic / Chicago Symphony Orchestra
London 443444; 22:45
John Williams: Excerpt from Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind
Boston Pops/Williams
Excerpts from Close Encounters of the Third Kind John Williams Deluxe Score
Philips 260602; 2:44
