László Lajtha, the composer, was the only Hungarian composer since Liszt to be elected a corresponding member of the French Académie des Beaux-Arts.
Composition History
The Variations, Op. 44 by László Lajtha, were composed for the film 'Murder in the Cathedral' by director Georg Höllering, who was recommended Lajtha by Béla Bartók.
Composer's Artistic Vision
László Lajtha, the composer, believed that film background scores should be self-contained concert pieces that could stand alone as individual entities.
Performer Biography
The Pécs Symphony Orchestra, featured on this recording, has a tradition spanning two and a half centuries and is now known as the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra.
Performer Biography
Nicolás Pasquet, the conductor, is currently Chief Conductor of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of the State of Hessen, Germany, and a Professor of Conducting at the Franz Liszt University of Music in Weimar.
Critical Reception
Lajtha's music for the film 'Murder in the Cathedral' was generally agreed to be flawless, even though the film itself received some criticism.
Performer Biography
Nicolás Pasquet, the conductor on this album, won first prize at the 37th International Conducting Competition in Besançon in 1987.
