This book - a comprehensive Dorati discography,
supplemented by several essays written by musicians, critics and others
who worked with the conductor - is the second book to appear from this
source. The companion volume,
Antal Dorati and the joy of making
music (2006), a register of all concerts given by the conductor,
was reviewed by me in 2007 for MusicWeb International (
link).
This is not the first Dorati discography to appear in print. A previous
compilation, entitled
Hungarians in Exile by John Hunt, included
discographies of three conductors: Antal Dorati, Fritz Reiner and George
Szell. Richard Chlupaty made a significant contribution to that book
and the new volume again reveals his research to have been very thorough.
The discography which forms the core of the book is actually presented
twice, both alphabetically (by composer) and chronologically. Each entry
includes not only the original recording date but also all subsequent
dates of reissues and record catalogue numbers. In addition to the commercial
studio recordings made by Dorati for Mercury, Decca, Philips and other
labels, the listing includes a significant number of radio recordings
held in radio and private archives. In my review of the companion book
I commented on the surprising number of Mahler symphonies programmed
by Dorati in his concerts. Amazingly this discography lists no fewer
than seven versions (with seven different orchestras) of Mahler’s
Sixth, of which six versions are available on CD. The existence of so
many radio archive recordings means that we can contemplate the future
possibility of an almost complete (missing Nos. 3 and 7) Dorati Mahler
cycle.
I have to admit that, while admiring the accuracy of Chlupaty’s
painstaking research, I did wonder whether the internet might offer
a better format for such data, not least in terms of the facility of
updating. In his list of acknowledgements Chlupaty regretted that three
orchestras conducted by Dorati did not allow him access to the contents
of their archives, which offers the distinct possibility of more recordings
being added to the discography in the future.
The discography aside, some may regard the contents as offering a somewhat
rose-tinted view of a controversial conductor. You might feel that a
line is crossed when reading Bill Newman’s effusions in his suggested
list of recordings: “... one of the outstanding performances of
the last century” (Brahms Symphony 1) or “... the performance
to end all performances” (Mahler Symphony 2). There are however
recollections of incidents involving Dorati’s notorious temper
tantrums, which evidently were not limited to the recording studio;
his daughter Tonina recalls “moments of blackness” which
were brief. “Though not brief enough”.
This is a handsomely produced book, with about 400 illustrations, mainly
photographs of Dorati and musicians who worked with him, including also
some colourful reproductions of LP covers. It is unlikely to be of interest
to a wide audience but loyal fans of the Mercury Living Presence label
and this colourful conductor will find much to enjoy here.
Tony Flynn
Full list of book reviews on Musicweb
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