Antal Doráti

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Antal Doráti (1962)

Antal Doráti [ ˈɒntɒl ˈdoraːti ] (born April 9, 1906 in Budapest , Austria-Hungary , † November 13, 1988 in Gerzensee near Bern, Switzerland ) was an American conductor and composer of Hungarian origin. He is considered one of the most important Hungarian conductors of the 20th century. Doráti worked as music director and orchestra leader in Monaco, England, the USA and Sweden. He brought many works to premiere , devoted himself intensively to music Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovskyand presented the world's second complete recording of Joseph Haydn's symphonies .

Life

Antal Doráti came from a Hungarian-Jewish family of musicians. He was born in 1906 as the son of violinist Alexander Doráti (Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra) and his wife Margit, b. Kunwald, a piano teacher, was born in Budapest. His uncle Caesar Kunwald was a painter. At the age of fourteen he attended the Budapest Conservatory . His teachers included u. a. Arnold Székely (piano), Zoltán Kodály (composition), Karl Nováček (cello) and Leó Weiner (chamber music). He attended a folklore seminar with Béla Bartók for five years . He also learned from his younger uncle Ernst von Dohnányi . For two years he attended philosophical lectures at the University of Vienna .

In 1924 he made his debut as the youngest Kapellmeister at the Royal Opera of his hometown Budapest, where he worked as a répétiteur until 1928 . In 1928 he conducted the Hungarian premieres of Stravinsky's Le chant du rossignol and Oedipus Rex .

From 1924 to 1928 he assisted Fritz Busch at the State Opera in Dresden, before taking up a position as first conductor at the municipal theaters in Münster (Westphalia) in 1928 . During the time of National Socialism he turned away from Germany. In 1933 he emigrated to France . From 1934 to 1938 he was second conductor and from 1938 to 1941 music director at the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo , with which he made guest appearances worldwide.

In 1939 he emigrated to the USA and settled in New York City. Two years earlier he made his symphonic debut there with the National Symphony Orchestra . Until 1945 he was music director of the American Ballet Theater . With this he led u. a. Bluebeard (1941) by Jacques Offenbach and The Sorotschinzy Fair (1943) by Modest Mussorgsky . In 1941/42 he was music director of the New York Opera Company .

From 1945 he rebuilt the Dallas Symphony Orchestra . In 1949 he switched to the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra as music director , where he succeeded Dimitri Mitropoulos until 1960 . From 1963 to 1967 he was chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London (which also performed pieces by him) and from 1966 to 1970 of the Kungliga Filharmoniska Orkestern in Stockholm (with which he also recorded his own works). From 1970 to 1977 he directed the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC, which he saved from insolvency. From 1975 to 1978 he was chief conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London (successor to Rudolf Kempe ) and from 1977 to 1981 of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra . Between 1984 and 1987 he conducted the Basel Symphony Orchestra several times .

He gave master classes at the Royal College of Music in London and the Budapest Academy of Music. In 1964 he was a juror at the Dimitri Mitropoulos International Music Competition in New York.

Doráti campaigned for the modern composers Igor Stravinsky and Olivier Messiaen ; He helped Luigi Dallapiccola to break through. He brought the music, including numerous American composers, u. a. by Gunther Schuller , Paul Hindemith , Walter Piston , William Schuman , Sándor Veress , Charles Ives , Roman Vlad , Heimo Erbse , Roger Sessions , Roberto Gerhard , Serge Nigg , Allan Petterson and Richard Rodney Bennett for the world premiere. In 1949 he realized Bartók's Viola Concerto with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra and violist William Primrose , which was completed by Tibor Serly .

He arranged Johann Strauss' ballet Graduation Ball (1940) in the choreography of David Lichine and from the 1950s onwards was increasingly active as a composer (orchestral works, choral and chamber music), leaning on Bartók and Kodály. He was inspired in part by the oboist Heinz Holliger . His works were u. a. Published by Müller & Schade , Editio Musica Budapest , Edizioni Suvini Zerboni and Boosey & Hawkes .

His second marriage was to the Austrian pianist Ilse von Alpenheim (* 1927). In 1947 he received American citizenship . In 1979 his autobiography Notes of Seven Decades was published . Most recently he was resident in Switzerland.

Discographic notes

Doráti recorded more than 600 records from 1936, working intensively with Mercury Records . Rob Cowan ( Gramophone ) compared its importance to that of Herbert von Karajans for Deutsche Grammophon and Otto Klemperers for Columbia Records .

He made his first recording with the London Philharmonic Orchestra on His Master's Voice (later RCA Records ). With the Philharmonia Hungarica in exile , he presented the second complete recording of Joseph Haydn's 107 symphonies worldwide from 1969 to 1972 . He also recorded eight operas by the composer. The world's first recording of Tchaikovsky's three ballets ( Swan Lake , Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker ) took place in 1954/55 with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra on Mercury Records. Further publications of individual ballets followed with the Concertgebouw Orchestra ( Philips Classics Records ) and the London Symphony Orchestra (Mercury Records). He recorded Tchaikovsky's four orchestral suites with the New Philharmonia Orchestra. In 1954/58 he was the first conductor ever to present his overture "1812" with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra on Gold Records . All Tchaikovsky symphonies were released with the London Symphony Orchestra. The Mercury records for Bartók's orchestral works should also be mentioned. So he played in cooperation with u. a. Yehudi Menuhin Bartók's Second Violin Concerto . He also immortalized Léo Delibes ' Coppélia and Richard Wagner's The Flying Dutchman with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra . Other world premiere recordings are: Jean Sibelius ' Luonnotar (1969; with Gwyneth Jones ) and Max Bruch's Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra (1973; rediscovered 1971). He realized digital recordings with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Decca Records .

Awards and recognitions

Most likely for the 60th birthday of the musician, the Berlin sculptor Erich Fritz Reuter created a bronze bust of Dorátis.

He was honorary conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Stockholm Philharmonic as well as honorary president of the Philharmonia Hungarica and an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music. Doráti was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and holds several honorary doctorates . He was also honored with the Wasaorden (Commander), the Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art 1st Class and the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres . 1983 Queen raised him Elizabeth II. To Knight Commander of the British Equestrian Order of Order of the British Empire ( KBE ). He was repeatedly awarded the Grand Prix du Disque for his recordings .

The Budapest Symphony Orchestra MÁV has been organizing the Antal Doráti International Conducting Competition since 2015 .

In 2004 the Antal Doráti Centenary Society was founded in Bournemouth .

Works

Chamber music

  • Nocturne and Capriccio for oboe, 2 violins, viola and violoncello (1926)
  • Threnos for string quartet (1959, rev. 1977), "in memory of Ödon Pártos"
  • String Octet for 4 violins, 2 violas and 2 violoncellos (1964)
  • Variazioni sopra un Tema di Béla Bartók for piano (1974)
  • The Voices - piano cycle for bass and piano (1975, 1978 version for bass and orchestra), text: Rainer Maria Rilke
  • In The Beginning - Five Meditations on Texts from the Bhagavad Ghita for bass-baritone, oboe, cello and percussion (1979)
  • Sonata per Assisi - Five pieces for 2 flutes (1980)
  • Cinq Pièces for oboe solo (1980)
  • String Quartet (1980)
  • Duo Concertante for oboe and piano (1984)
  • Autumn - Six epigrams for baritone and chamber ensemble (19 players) based on ancient Chinese texts (1986)
  • Adagio for viola and piano (1987)
  • Hexaphoneia - Six movements for baritone, 2 violins, viola and 2 violoncellos (1988), after Hans Erni

Orchestral works

  • American Serenade for String Orchestra (early 1940s)
  • Symphony No. 1 (1956-57)
  • The Two Enchantments of Li Tai Pe for baritone and small orchestra (1957)
  • 7 Pictures (Sette Pezzi) for orchestra (from "Magdalena") (1963)
  • Variations on a Theme of Kodály for orchestra (1962), in collaboration with Tibor Serly , Ödön Pártos , Géza Frid, and Sándor Veress
  • Largo Concertato for string orchestra (1966)
  • Chamber Music - song cycle for soprano and 25 instruments (1967), text: James Joyce
  • Night Music for flute and small orchestra (1969)
  • Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1975)
  • Divertimento for oboe and orchestra (1976, solo part rev. 1985–86)
  • Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (1977)
  • Trittico for oboe, oboe d'amore and cor anglais with string orchestra (1984–85, 1984 version for oboe, oboe d'amore, cor anglais and piano, 1986 version with accompaniment of 12 strings), commissioned by Heinz Holliger
  • Symphony No. 2 "Querela Pacis" (1985), commissioned by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Choral works

  • The Way - cantata for speaker, alto, bass baritone, choir and orchestra based on Paul Claudel's "Le Chemin de la Croix" (1955–56)
  • Missa Brevis for mixed a cappella choir (SSAATB, preferably boys' choir instead of S / A voices) and percussion (1959)
  • Madrigal Suite for mixed choir (SATB) and small orchestra (1965)
  • Öt Kánon - Five canons for mixed choir a cappella (1970)
  • Three Studies for mixed choir a cappella (1976)
  • Of God, Man, and Machine - Drei Chörre for mixed choir (SATB) a cappella (1978)
  • Négy noï Kar - Four Hungarian choirs for female voices (SMA) (1982), "To Maria Katanics and her choir"
  • Imádság (Prayer) for mixed choir (SATB) a cappella (1984), text: Dezső Keresztury
  • Jesus or Barabbas? - Melodrama for speaker, mixed choir and orchestra (1987), text: Antal Doráti, based on a parable by Frigyes Karinthy
  • Pater Noster for mixed choir (SATB) a cappella (1988)

Operas

  • The Chosen , in 3 acts (1984)

Transcriptions / orchestrations

  • Graduation Ball - ballet in one act with music by Johann Strauss (S) (1939)
  • Bartók : Three Rondos on Folk Tunes , version for string orchestra (1967)
  • Bartók: Suite op.14, arrangement for small orchestra (1967)
  • Allan Pettersson : 8 Barefoot Songs , arrangement for baritone and orchestra (1968–69)
  • Mozart : Rondo (Andante) for a small organ , arrangement for 2 flutes and 2 clarinets
  • Mozart: Adagio for harmonica , arrangement for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, bassoon and horn in F
  • Haydn : The Ten Commandments of Art - 10 canons for mixed choir , arrangement for concert performance with orchestral accompaniment ad libitum (1982)

Fonts

  • Notes of Seven Decades. [Autobiography] . Hodder & Stoughton, London 1979, ISBN 0-340-15922-7 .
  • For Inner and Outer Peace . London 1987.

literature

  • Antal Dorati. In: Encyclopædia Britannica . Retrieved September 19, 2018 .
  • Alberto Fassone: Doráti, Antal . In: Julian Caskel, Hartmut Hein (Hrsg.): Handbuch Dirigenten. 250 portraits . Bärenreiter, Kassel 2015, ISBN 978-3-7618-2174-9 , pp. 135-137.
  • Noël Goodwin:  Dorati, Antal. In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
  • Peter Hollfelder : piano music. International chronological lexicon. History. Composers. Works . Supplement, Noetzel, Wilhelmshaven 2005, ISBN 3-7959-0855-8 , p. 66.
  • Calum MacDonald: Antal Doráti: Composer: A Catalog of His Works . In: Tempo , NS 143 (1982), pp. 16-25.
  • Alain Pâris: Classical music in the 20th century: instrumentalists, singers, conductors, orchestras, choirs . 2nd expanded, completely revised edition, dtv, Munich 1997, ISBN 3-423-32501-1 , p. 210 f.
  • Gdal Saleski: Famous musicians of Jewish origin . Bloch Publishing Company, New York 1949, pp. 227f.
  • Rudolf Ossowski (ed.): Young people ask, celebrities answer . Colloquium-Verlag, Berlin 1975, ISBN 3-7678-0373-9 , p. 73 ff.
  • Swiss Lexicon 91: in six volumes . Volume 2: Chap-Gem , Verlag Schweizer Lexikon, Lucerne 1992, ISBN 3-9520144 .

Web links

Commons : Antal Doráti  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Besides Georg Solti , Ferenc Fricsay , Eugene Ormandy and János Ferencsik ; see. Peter Cossé: The “other” Hungarian conductor . In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung , April 8, 2006.
  2. Judit Frigyesi: Jews and Hungarians in Modern Hungarian Musical Culture . Ezra Mendelsohn (ed.): Modern Jews and Their Musical Agendas ( Studies in Contemporary Jewry . Volume 9). Oxford University Press, Oxford 1993, ISBN 0-19-508617-1 , pp. 40-60, here: p. 58.
  3. Antal Doráti , old.lfze.hu, accessed on September 23, 2018.
  4. Cf. Ilona von Dohnányi: Ernst von Dohnanyi: A Song of Life . Edited by James A. Grymes, Indiana University Press, Bloomington 2002, ISBN 0-253-34103-5 , p. 19.
  5. ^ Tibor Frank: Double exile: migrations of Jewish-Hungarian professionals through Germany to the United States, 1919–1945 ( Exil-Studien . Volume 7). Lang, Oxford et al. a. 2009, ISBN 978-3-03911-331-6 , p. 441.
  6. 1984 , sinfonieorchesterbasel.ch, accessed on September 23, 2018.
  7. ^ Rob Cowan: Icons - Antal Dorati . In: Gramophone , March 22, 2016.
  8. Catalog raisonné by the sculptor Erich F. Reuter , erich-fritz-reuter.de, accessed on September 19, 2018.
  9. Antal Doráti International Conducting Competition , antaldoraticompetition.com, accessed on September 19, 2018.
  10. About the ADCS , dorati-society.org.uk, accessed September 19, 2018.