Debussy; Dohnanyi; Rachmaninov: Orchestral & Vocal Works

Zoltan Kocsis, the greatest Hungarian pianist of the second half of the twentieth century, is known for his immense strength, his powerful rhythms, his brilliant colors, and his complete control of every aspect of technique. As it turns out, the same qualities apply to Kocsis as an orchestrator and conductor. On this premiere disc on Budapest Music Center Records, Kocsis conducts the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra (nee the Hungarian State Orchestra) in a daring program of Dohnanyi, Debussy, and Rachmaninov. Recorded at three concerts, Kocsis brings the same qualities that distinguish his piano playing to his conducting. His control of rhythm and color in the opening, rarely recorded Festival Overture by Dohnanyi is incredibly exciting. His control of strength and tempo in the closing, infrequently recorded Symphony No. 1 by Rachmaninov. And his control of the light and hue, light and shade in his never before recorded orchestration of seven songs by Debussy is amazingly apt and effective. The Hungarians play with passionate precision for Kocsis and soprano Julia Hajnoczy sings with ecstatic agony over them in Kocsis' Debussy orchestration. Budapest Music Center Records' sound is a bit raw, but so real you can hear Kocsis turn pages.