Budapest Symphony Orchestra MÁV / Mariusz Smolij

Eugene Zádor was a remarkable colourist and orchestrator whose Hollywood film work was extensive. He described himself as a ‘middle of the road extremist’. The Aria and Allegro is a beautifully crafted work brimming with rhythmic energy. Five Contrasts for Orchestra demonstrates his rich sound world at its most vibrant; film noir jostling with a bigbooted country dance. The lighter A Children’s Symphony is one of his most popular pieces – communicative, witty, accessible. We also hear two small and captivating evocations of his native Hungary.

None of these pieces has been recorded before. One of Zádor’s major works, Christopher Columbus, is on Cambria coupled with the Studies for orchestra. Zádor’s music is hugely approachable, and exciting, as befits a Hollywood orchestrator. He was great friends with Miklós Rózsa and shares that communicative spirit and sense of colour (in fact he was Rózsa’s own orchestrator).