István Kertész

KODÁLYThe Peacock

Peacock VariationsHáry János: SuiteDances of Galánta

Eloquence

ZOLTÁN KODÁLY (1882-1967)

1 Fölszállott a páva (The Peacock), for unaccompanied chorus 2’58

Variations on a Hungarian Folk Song for Orchestra ‘The Peacock’2 Theme: Moderato 3’343 Var. 1: Con brio 0’224 Var. 2 0’215 Var. 3: Più mosso 0’176 Var. 4: Poco calmato 0’237 Var. 5: Appassionato 0’508 Var. 6: Tempo (calmato) 0’439 Var. 7: Vivo 0’220 Var. 8: Più vivo 0’38! Var. 9 1’18@ Var. 10: Molto vivo 0’39£ Var. 11: Andante espressivo 2’52$ Var. 12: Adagio 3’41% Var. 13: Tempo de Marcia funebre 1’49^ Var. 14: Andante, poco rubato 2’53& Var. 15: Allegro giocoso 0’34* Var. 16: Maestoso 1’11( Finale: Vivace 4’00

Háry János: Suite, Op. 15) I Prelude; the fairy tale begins 3’30¡ II Viennese musical clock 2’09™ III Song 5’59# IV The battle and defeat of Napoleon 3’59¢ V Intermezzo 5’01∞ VI Entrance of the emperor and his court 2’57

Galántai táncok (Dances of Galánta)§ I Lento 5’13¶ II Allegretto moderato 2’46• III Allegro con moto, grazioso 1’22ª IV Allegro 2’56º V Allegro vivace 3’37

London Symphony Chorus 1London Symphony Orchestra

István Kertész

Total timing: 69’43

Kodály’s setting of The Peacock for chorus, andthe orchestral variations on the same folkmelody both date from the late 1930s. Thecomposer had been asked to write a piece formale chorus by the Hungarian Workers’ ChoralUnion, and he chose to merge a version of thewords of the Hungarian folksong, Fölszállott apáva (‘The Peacock has flown’) by the poetEndre Ady with the original folk melody itself.The resulting setting was first performed at theend of 1937.

At the same time, the composer wascommissioned by Willem Mengelberg,conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra,and a firm supporter of Kodály’s music, to writea piece to mark the orchestra’s 50th anniversary.Kodály again turned to this archetypalHungarian folk melody and composed a set ofvariations on it. The piece was duly premieredunder Mengelberg in Amsterdam on 23November 1939, and it was the same conductorwho introduced it to Budapest audiences whenhe visited the city at the height of the war, inDecember 1941.

Kodály outlined his approach to the orchestraltreatment of folk melodies in an interview,stating the reasoning behind his employment ofvariation: ‘The melody of a folksong iscompletely unsuited for the higher forms. [...]

Variation is the only form which leaves thefolksong and its kernel untouched, which doesnot develop it any further, but rather reinforcesit.’ There are sixteen variations, framed by thepresentation of the theme and a lively finale. Thevariations break down into four sets: the first sixbalance three straightforwardly energeticversions of the tune with three rather broaderones: variations 7 to 10 move through a varietyof inventively orchestrated moods (such as thedancing No. 8 and the sonorous No. 9 with itsswirling woodwind) ending with the quaintlycharacterful No. 10. Variations 11 and 12 forma pair of slow movements, one serene, oneimpassioned, and the final set opens with thesombre variation 13, marked ‘Tempo di marciafunebre’. After an improvisatory interlude (No.14) the mood is broken by the forthright last twovariations. The cheerful finale introduces twonew folk melodies, before the main thememakes one last glorious appearance.

DECCA

The first performance of Háry János was givenin Budapest in 1926, and while it has since heldthe stage within Hungary, not least on accountof its essentially national flavour, elsewhere it isgenerally only known through the Suite whichthe composer arranged shortly after thecomplete work was composed.

Háry János is not so much an opera as a fantasywith musical items interspersed between theincidents of the play. Háry himself (his name isreversed, in the Hungarian manner) is adelightful peasant character approaching oldage, noted for his ability to tell stories, andblessed with a vivid imagination. He is by naturethe hero of all his own adventures, and four ofthese form the basis of the three-act work whichbears his name. As none of the otherparticipants in the tales are still alive to challengethe authenticity of his inventions, they assume areality to Háry and his rustic friends which ischarmingly conveyed. Everything is seen throughHáry’s eyes, and he is able to narrate to hisattentive audience how, for example, hepersonally captured Napoleon on behalf of theAustrians, and since by now there are nosurvivors of the battle to worry his conscience,who is to challenge his word?

The Prelude of the Suite is subtitled ‘The FairyTale begins’, and opens with an orchestral take-off which wings up without preamble awayfrom reality into the eventful but rathersubjective realms of Háry’s imagination.Brooding motives in the lowest strings are takenup by violas and violins as Háry’s mind sets outon its inventive journey. His confidence increasesas he visualises the events and their exciting

outcome clarifying in his mind. It will be adramatic tale of heroism, love and death – a talea man would be proud to tell.

In the second excerpt Háry has left his nativeHungary to accompany the Empress of Austriaback to the Court in Vienna, and with him hehas been able to take his beloved Ilka. He listensfascinated as all the palace clocks chime, and the‘musical box’ effect is superbly captured by thelucid scoring of this cheerful piece.

Next comes the ‘Song’ which in the completework is sung by Háry and Ilka as a duet. Hereslightly re-scored to make up for the absence ofthe soprano and baritone soloists, it loses noneof its nostalgia. For the first time in the Suite thecimbalom is used, giving an even strongerHungarian colour to a melody which could comefrom no other region.

‘The Battle and Defeat of Napoleon’ is thehighlight of Háry’s third adventure, seenemphatically from the protagonist’s own pointof view. The French army is heard approaching.As the soldiers appear Háry routs them with awave of his sword. Then Napoleon arrives, to aponderous theme from the trombones, and aglimpse of Háry is enough to make him fall tohis knees. Háry takes Napoleon prisoner, to theaccompaniment of a funeral march, where the

E flat saxophone adds a note of singularmelancholy, and he presents his celebratedcaptive to the Austrian Empress.

The ‘Intermezzo’ which follows introduces thesecond of Háry’s adventures and is an extendedand cheerful piece (despite the minor key) in theverbunkos style, which gives considerable scopeto the cimbalom.

The concluding item in the Suite is from thefourth and final adventure. The Empress ofAustria’s daughter Marie-Louise (Napoleon’swidow) is trying to decide whom she shouldmarry, and is urged by her mother to selectHáry, in whose honour the Emperor hasordered a procession. The piece depicts theentrance of the Emperor and his Court, with adegree of irreverence which is only permissiblewhen we realise once again that this is Háry’sview of the affair. The brilliant but undignifiedhigh spirits of the piece conjure up toy soldierson parade rather than a solemn procession tohonour the heroism of Háry. But even in hisfancy, he did not marry Marie-Louise. Withcharacteristic integrity he asks as his rewardthat his military obligations should be waivedso that he can marry Ilka at home, and thusbring the tale to a proper conclusion.

In 1800, a collection of ‘Hungarian Dances

after several gypsies from Galánta’ appeared inVienna, based on the dances used by a well-known gypsy group of the time whosedescendants were still active when Kodály wentto live in Galánta as a boy, nearly a hundredyears later. Galánta itself is a small market townsome distance to the west of Budapest. Thefascination of this gypsy group led the youngcomposer to explore their music further. Hispassion for collecting folk material was laterdeveloped still further in association with BélaBartók, and the emancipation of much of thismusic into full orchestral form was one of hismost important contributions to the modern repertoire.

Written in 1933, the Dances of Galánta consistof five dances, with an introduction and a coda.The five dances progress from the deliberate,leisurely pace of the first, through theincreasingly vigorous rhythms of the next three,to the exhilarating Allegro vivace of the last, butafter the second and third dances, a version ofthe first is repeated, thereby throwing theincreased pace of the following dances intosharper relief.

The introduction starts with a bold and rhythmicmotive for the cellos, echoed by the first hornsafter a shimmering of strings. As the openingmotive is fragmented, the clarinet gradually

emerges as the dominant instrument, and has ashort cadenza before it states the tune of thefirst dance (Andante maestoso).

This passionate and sad opening dance, withits plaintive sobs and angular rhythms, leadsstraight into the second (Allegretto moderato),which is altogether more cheerful, although theminor mood persists. Here the flute introducesa jaunty little tune and is soon joined by thepiccolo. A variant of the first dance soon givesway to the third (Allegro con moto, grazioso)which is based on a rustic and essentially simpletune given to the oboe, this time in the major.The scoring is reminiscent of bagpipe music. Asthe music becomes more vigorous a climax isreached with the final reference to the firstdance, before the fourth dance (Allegro) stealsin. This energetic and syncopated dance has allthe excitement and passion associated withtrue gypsy music, before a gentler and morerelaxed episode full of foreboding eventuallyleads without a pause into the final dance(Allegro vivace).

This is a busy and rhythmically unadventuroustune which nevertheless works up to a furiouspitch of excitement before a dramatic pause isfollowed by the coda – the calm peace ofpianissimo strings supports fragments of thefirst dance theme, played by the woodwind. A

short reference to the most exciting part of thefinal dance concludes the work withcharacteristic panache.

Ray Minshull

‘Whom the Gods love, die young’ is a sayingthat could fittingly be applied to IstvánKertész, who drowned at age 43 whileswimming in the Mediterranean off the coast ofIsrael in April 1973. As Ray Minshull, theproducer of many of his recordings, recalled,Kertész was blessed with ‘totally instinctivemusicality’ and ‘a tremendous facility in studyingand learning scores by heart’. His outward-goingand warm personality was matched by the alertand warm response that he elicited from hisplayers. When asked what was the secret of hisway with orchestras, Kertész replied: ‘I think it

PHOTO: DECCA/ELFR

IEDE H

ANAK

István Kertész

can be summed up in three words – knowledge,authority and psychology. You must not be adictator. If you have 80 players in front of you,they must somehow feel that you are the 81st.You will only be successful in the concert hall ifyou are successful with them.’

Kertész was born on 28 August 1929 inBudapest and attended the Liszt Academy,where Kodály was among his teachers. Amongthe conductors who influenced him were OttoKlemperer and above all Bruno Walter. After theruthless suppression by the Soviets of theHungarian uprising in 1956, Kertész and hisfamily left their homeland, ‘an artistic jail’ as hecalled it, to work first in Italy before takingGerman nationality. First based at Augsburg, hemade his London debut with the LondonSymphony Orchestra in 1960 and his Americandebut the following year. Around this time hesigned an exclusive contract with Decca. Among his first recordings were Dvorák’s Ninthwith the Vienna Philharmonic, Shostakovich’sFifth with the Suisse Romande and selectionsfrom Dvorák’s Slavonic Dances and Smetana’sBartered Bride with the Israel Philharmonic.

Kertész’s meteoric ascent was confirmed by hisappointment in 1964 as Generalmusikdirektorat the Cologne Opera and, the following year,his election as Principal Conductor of the

London Symphony Orchestra, succeeding PierreMonteux who had died shortly before his 90thbirthday. Still only in his mid-thirties, Kertész,who held both posts concurrently for the nextthree years, had undoubtedly reached a pinnaclein his career. The resulting recordings with theLSO were prolific indeed. They also showed aneagerness to explore neglected corners of therepertoire. ‘It’s a great joy to conduct pieces veryfew people know,’ Kertész explained.

While Kertész’s recordings were highly valued bythe record-buying public for their directness,spontaneity, rhythmic pointing and excitement(not to mention their typical ‘Decca Sound’:alive, alert, warm and vibrant, such as witnessedon the Kodály recordings heard on this CD), hispublic concerts with the LSO failed to attractlarge audiences. When, in 1968, his originalthree-year term of office drew to a close, theself-governing orchestra, in the wake of a crisisin its internal politics, rejected Kertész’s demandsfor a greater say in decision-making and artisticplanning, and decided not to renew his contract.Although they continued to make recordingstogether, including those on this CD, many ofKertész’s subsequent records were made withthe Vienna Philharmonic, with whom he hadbegun his Decca recording career.

Patrick Lambert

Recording producers: Christopher Raeburn (The Peacock; Peacock Variations); Ray Minshull (Háry János:Suite; Dances of Galánta) Recording engineers: Colin Moorfoot, Kenneth Wilkinson (The Peacock; Peacock Variations); KennethWilkinson (Háry János: Suite; Dances of Galánta) Recording location: Kingsway Hall, London, UK, February 1964 (Háry János: Suite); March 1964 (Dances ofGalánta), July 1969 (The Peacock; Peacock Variations)Eloquence series manager: Cyrus Meher-HomjiArt direction: Chilu · www.chilu.comBooklet editor: Bruce Raggatt

ISTVÁN KERTÉSZ on DECCA ELOQUENCE

BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 4

BRAHMS: SymphoniesNos. 1-4; Serenades Nos. 1& 2; Haydn Variations

DVORAK: Symphony No. 9; Serenade for wind instruments

DVORAK: RequiemROSSINI: Stabat Mater

DVORAK: Overtures &Tone Poems

KODÁLY: Choral worksBARTÓK: Cantata profana

KODÁLY: The Peacock;Peacock Variations; Hary Janos: suite; Dances of Galanta

KODÁLY: Hary JanosBARTÓK: Duke

Bluebeard's Castle

MOZART: Requiem;Masonic Music

MOZART: SymphoniesNos. 25, 29, 35 ‘Haffner’

MOZART: SymphoniesNos. 33, 39, 40

MOZART: Symphony No. 36 ‘Linz’;Eine kleine Nachtmusik; March in C; Overtures

MOZART OPERA FESTIVAL RESPIGHI: Pines of Rome;Fountains of Rome;

The Birds

SHOSTAKOVICH:Symphony No. 5

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

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476 9781476 7437

480 4839 (4CD)

480 4853 (2CD)

476 7401450 1102

480 4847480 4873

476 7402466 6642

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480 4873 (2CD)

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