When I saw that CPO was releasing a disk of music by Ludovit Rajter, I knew that I had to have it if for no other reason that Rajter was the conductor who first gave us a complete set of Schmidt symphonies, and anyone who likes Schmidt is ok in my book. I had no idea what to expect. Sometimes it sounds quite a bit like Kodaly in Hary Janos, sometimes like Brahms in the Hungarian Dances (esp no. 5), and sometimes like Bartok. I enjoyed the music quite a bit, the ballet especially so.
A while back there was a thread regarding composers "borrowing" ideas from others. Listen to track 16, the first movement of the Sinfonietta. At about 1:15 in you can plainly hear the main theme from Schmidt's 3rd symphony. The rest of the movement is permeated with Schmidt's theme. Since Rajter was a student of Schmidt, loved Schmidt's music, and was dedicated to bringing it to the public this is no accident.
Anyway, great release. I hope CPO will bring out some more of Rajter's work. And while I'm at it, can anyone tell be how to pronounce RAJTER correctly?
RYE-tare (you can slightly roll the first "r" to be precise).