Lajtha: Symphonies Nos. 8 & 9

Featuring

Nicolás Pasquet
Pécs Symphony Orchestra
László Lajtha

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Composer Biography

László Lajtha, the composer of these symphonies, was unable to attend the Parisian premiere of his Eighth Symphony because his passport was confiscated by communist authorities between 1948 and 1962.

Notable Performances

Lajtha's Ninth Symphony, his final work, premiered in Paris on May 2, 1963, two and a half months after his death, and was later adapted into a one-act ballet in Budapest in 1978.

Historical Context

Lajtha's Eighth Symphony, composed in 1959, has a tragic, lament-like atmosphere due to the Soviet crushing of the 1956 Hungarian revolution, which it commemorates.

Critical Reception

Lajtha's Eighth Symphony was hailed by critic Claude Rostand as 'one of the most beautiful musical creations to have reached us from the East for many years' after its 1961 Parisian premiere.

Performer Biography

Nicolás Pasquet, the conductor on this album, won first prize at the 37th International Conducting Competition in Besançon in 1987 and has served as chief conductor for several orchestras.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Lajtha's Eighth Symphony, unlike most symphonies, progresses from light towards darkness, concluding not with a happy ending but with a 'merciless tragedy of inhumanity,' according to his wife.

Recording & Production

This recording of Lajtha's Symphonies Nos. 8 and 9 was made in October 1996 at the Ferenc Liszt Concert Hall in Pécs, Hungary, and was sponsored by the Hungarian National Cultural Foundation.