Zoltan

If anybody is, then Zoltán Kocsis is truly a musical artist in the Renaissance sense: he explores ever greater areas of his profession, and takes possession of new realms. Initially, we looked on with incomprehension, asking why as a pianist of genius, he did not devote himself exclusively to his instrument. Why was he dissipating his creative energies is so many fields: teaching, conducting, writing essays, creating concert programs, forming societies and building an orchestra – and of course, there was his composition as well. But these days, we really have to acknowledge that with Kocsis, this is not some sporting achievement, but utilising the Wagnerian term – a kind of “Gesamtkunstwerk” activity.

Coupling the Hary Janos Suite with Kodaly ’ s two highly contrasted sets of Hungarian dances, urban and rural, is a time - honoured gambit, but Fischer has had the birght idea of adding some of the composer ’ s children ’ s choruses, and instrumental movements from the seldom - heard Hary Janos Singspiel that was the ultimate source for the perennially popular suite, in order to give a broader picture of Kodaly, both as musician and musical humorist. On the whole it works well: the Singspiel extracts are very slight, but the choruses are highly characteristic – and flawlessly sung by superbly disciplined childrens ’ choirs trained, inevitably, in the ‘ Kodaly Method ’. Nevertheless the three principal orchestral works remain the point for buying the disc, and these are very vivid, exciting interpretations. Fischer comes up against stiff competition in Antal Dorati ’ s classic 1973 recording of Hary and the dance - suites with the Philharmonia Hungarica. Dorati is ‘ straighter ’ in his readings of the pieces than Fischer, and the playing packs a tremendous punch: he also adds the Peacock Variations as coupling, and thus probably still remains the first choice.

So what if Liszt spent most of his life in France and Germany and never learned to speak Hungarian? The music of the Magyars' fiery favorite son played by a hot-blooded local boy is an irresistible combination. Even the delightful Dohnanyi filler (variations on ''Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star'') doesn't really douse the flames. Put it in the CD player and let 'er rip! Just be sure to remove all flammable vestments first. (Entertainment Weekly)

Decca presents the Complete Philips Recordings of Zoltán Kocsis on 26 CDs with the original jackets. Bringing together Kocsis' benchmark recordings of Bartók's solo piano works, acclaimed recordings of Bach's Art of Fugue, Chopin, Debussy and Dohnányi; Liszt, Rachmaninoff, and Bartók concertos; a disc of piano transcriptions by Liszt and Kocsis of Wagner; and the first CD release of Greig's Sonata in E minor.

Otello, Verdi's last tragic opera, was the result of his very successful collaboration with Boito, the librettist who adapted the original Shakespeare play with masterly skill. Otello, a tragic story of love and intrigue, is considered by many to be one of the greatest of all Italian operas. The great singers of the world have always taken part in seasons at the spectacular Arena di Verona. In this recording, Otello is sung by the Russian tenor Vladimir Atlantov, rightly famous for his interpretation of the title role. The role of Desdemona is sung movingly by Kiri Te Kanawa, and the wicked Iago is slyly conceived by leading Italian heroic baritone Piero Cappuccilli. "Vladimir Atlantov, a wild, bold Otello whose thundering voice could have filled twice the space of the Arena." - Il Tempo

Excerpts from Wagner operas have, on countless occasions, been transcribed for piano. A fairly long list of transcribers could be made, starting with Joseph Rubinstein, the first transcriber of an extract from Parsifal, going on through Bülow to Brassin, then from Carl Tausig to August Stradal, to speak only of those who were pupils of Liszt. It is an established fact that Liszt, the greatest master of transcription and paraphrase, made very little use of Wagner’s works. In this highly-regarded recording the transcription honours are shared between Liszt and Kocsis.

It is obviously not the sentimental aspect of Rachmaninov's music that has attracted Zoltan Kocsis to record all of the piano concertos for Philips. His view of the composer is more involved with making an impact through spine-tingling virtuosity, balanced by moments of poetic insight.

It is obviously not the sentimental aspect of Rachmaninov's music that has attracted Zoltan Kocsis to record all of the piano concertos for Philips. His view of the composer is more involved with making an impact through spine-tingling virtuosity, balanced by moments of poetic insight.