Today we鈥檙e thrilled to be joined by Gergely Madaras who conducts a programme full of warmth and energy, from the 麻豆社 Philharmonic鈥檚 home at MediaCityUK.
Gergely, an advocate of B茅la Bart贸k and Zolt谩n Kod谩ly, introduces us to a few of the Hungarian composers鈥� most vibrant works, plus we hear a treat of a suite from Shostakovich to finish.
Through his collection and analytical study of folk music, B茅la Bart贸k was one of the founders of comparative musicology, which later became known as ethnomusicology. Today we hear three of Bart贸k鈥檚 works, amongst them his vibrant Dance Suite, which was commissioned for the 50th anniversary of the union of the cities Buda and Pest, in 1923.
Zolt谩n Kod谩ly, another major figure in the collection and analysis of Hungarian folk music, was also invited to contribute a score for the celebration of Budapest, but today we hear a piece he composed a few years earlier in 1917 - his Hungarian Rondo. This work premiered in Vienna in early 1918 and was originally titled 鈥淥ld Hungarian Soldiers鈥� Songs.鈥� Its themes are based on the verbunk贸s, a type of army recruiting dance which utilized gypsy bands, and the piece shimmers with colour.
