…the Háry János suite…is a very good performance: the Viennese Musical Clock chimes out with cheery accuracy, the following viola solo is…ear-catching, and the entire ‘Song’ is fantastic. The Seattle Symphony’s rich, boldly colorful sound is at its best in the biggest climaxes, like in a battle scene which builds to wonderful heights from a measured initial pace, and also in basically any of the excellent woodwind solos—another element familiar from their newer Naxos recordings. It is a general truth that the composer’s use of winds and trumpets correlates directly with the vividness of the playing.

Ernö von Dohnányi’s Konzertstück for cello and orchestra is less colorful than the Kodály works, giving the program a contemplative heart. The slow movement begins after about six minutes, and is brief but poignant; the way that the cello, flute, oboe, and clarinet converse may remind one of Dvorák. The finale is the longest and most substantial…recalling earlier material and containing a cadenza and an ending which is the best, most moving part of an impassioned work. János Starker is the excellent soloist.

This release might be most valuable for the Dohnányi, as played by Starker…The Kodály…is nevertheless very good, and it makes for a very satisfying CD. I’ll be returning to the Seattle Dances of Galánta a great deal more than I expected. A very desirable CD with a program that should attract interest. © 2012 MusicWeb International Read complete review

In the present recording, Schwarz takes a perfectly equipped Seattle Symphony through its paces, with smart, characteristically luminous and insightful performances from every section. Not only do the big “production numbers” (Viennese Musical Clock, Battle and Defeat of Napoleon, Entrance of the emperor and His Court) come across splendidly. So does the enchantingly beautiful Song, an evocation of the night in the form of a serenade, or perhaps a twilight reverie.

Of special interest is the Intermezzo in the form of a Verbunkos, a swirling, exciting, uniquely Hungarian musical genre.

A treat here is the inclusion of Dohnányi’s Konzertstück for Cello and Orchestra. Despite its name, it is a full-blown concerto with the usual three movements incorporated as one in easily-recognizable sections plus a reprise and cadenza. The great János Starker is the soloist here, essaying the many beauties of a score that includes a nocturnal Adagio section where the cello’s melody is enhanced by distant bird-calls in the flutes. © 2012 Audio Video Club of Atlanta