Kodály, Háry János

Gergely Madaras shines a light on a major figure in the Hungarian soul, the character of Háry János, the legendary national hero who inspired Kodály's most famous opera (1926). His Suite is a compendium of popular folk melodies, which depict how the whimsical hero claims to have fought Napoleon, tamed an infernal horse and subdued a seven-headed dragon. Bartók's final Concerto, which he did not manage to complete before his death, is a dark and profound work, perfect for the fascinating sound palette of British violist Timothy Ridout, "the best of his generation" according to Le Monde. As a counterpoint, the Concerto for cor anglais by Latvian Pēteris Vasks (1989), which alternates elegiac ambience with folk rhythms, features Jeroen Baerts, principal with the OPRL.