LEO WEINER (1885-1960): Csongor es Tünde - Ballet, Op. 10 (second version), Ballad for Viola and Orchestra, Op. 28. World Premiere Recordings

Description: Originating in 1913 as incidental music for a play and previously only recorded as a six-movement suite, Csongor was later worked into a ballet and is heard here in its final (1959), 53-minute, 14-movement version. Weiner wrote Hungarian music without using actual folk tunes but you’d never know that from listening to this. Synopsis and historical photos of the ballet’s production are included. The 12-minute Ballade is a 1949 viola version of a 1908 work for clarinet and piano later orchestrated in the 1930s and has impressionistic qualities. Máté Szücs (viola), Jubilate Girls Choir, Budapest Symphony Orchestra MÁV; Valéria Csányi.