MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2024
60,000 reviews
... and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             

Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger


Support us financially by purchasing this from

Ernő DOHNÁNYI (1877-1960)
Ruralia Hungarica Op.32a (1923) [29:59]
Humoresken in Form einer Suite Op.17 (1907) [26:34]
Pastorale on a Hungarian Christmas Song (No Op.) [6:37]
Valentina Tóth (piano)
rec. 2018, Westvest Church, Schiedam, The Netherlands
CHALLENGE RECORDS CC72775 [63:10]

Ernő Dohnányi’s conservative compositional style has kept his name at a lower profile to fellow Hungarians such as Bartók and Kodály, and pianist Valentina Tóth tells us that she only encountered his piano works relatively recently. “Romantic, virtuoso, and incredibly well written for the instrument”, the Ruralia Hungarica is full of melodies that Hungarian natives should recognise. Dohnányi referred to Bartók and Kodály’s collection of folk melodies collected in the field when putting together this seven-movement suite, and these tunes are given a variety of adaptations, the composer turning them into gentle nocturne-like pieces or applying lively Hungarian dance rhythms. The result is a great mixture of Hungarian character and romantic pianistic fireworks played with panache and élan by Ms Tóth.

Ruralia Hungarica has appeared in numerous guises, including orchestral and chamber music versions with violin or cello. Of the piano version, alternative recordings include extracts played by the composer (review), and Martin Roscoe’s recording on the Hyperion label (review), part of a complete Dohnányi edition, has to be worth a listen though I don’t have a copy for comparison.

The set of Humoresken was written a decade and a half earlier, and have little or no folk-music association. Brahms is cited as an influence, and characteristics in the writing and harmonic colours indeed bring the elder master frequently to mind. Earlier musical forms are referred to, such as a fierce Toccata and an initially lyrical Pavane, and while the humoresque title indeed indicates a light feel to this suite there are plenty of darker minor-key contrasts. Dohnányi cleverly weaves a tribute to Brahms into the variations of the Pavane, quoting the tune Gaudeamus Igitur used in the Academic Festival Overture, and the final Introduction and Fugue is excellent.

The final Pastorale on a Hungarian Christmas Song uses a carol ‘The angel from heaven’, building from a gentle opening through some intriguing harmonic progressions into something quite impassioned, before returning to the tranquillity of the beginning.

Well recorded and performed with skill and superb musicianship, this is an attractive disc of some less frequently heard piano repertoire from a great but under-appreciated 20th century Hungarian.

Dominy Clements

Previous review: Jim Westhead



Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing