It has taken a long time for this disc, made in honour of the centenary in 1982 of Kodaly's birth, to be released in this country, but it is no less welcome—though it seems unfortunate that Hungaroton should also have a new recording of the Peacock Variations appearing here simultaneously (see page 1313). Compared with that Dorati version, this is clearer in sound, with more presence on the strings and a balance that renders Kodaly's frequent canons (as in Var. 6 and the finale) more effective and gives slightly greater substance to the quasi-Daphnis flute and clarinet ripples in Var. 9. The orchestra (which is in fact that of the Hungarian Radio and Television) does, however, have more aggressive brass, which Lehel does not always subdue sufficiently: its triplet repeated chords just before the finale, for example, are too obtrusive, and the trombones fail to begin the funeral march (Var. 13) piano as marked. But these are minor blemishes. The other two works—both cast in the form of a sequence of dances bound together by a recurring theme presented in varied forms—are played with great spirit, and offer a clear picture of the difference between Hungarian national folk-music (the Marosszek Dances) and traditional gypsy music (Galanta was famous for its gypsy virtuoso). The former set (originally for piano) is imbued with a melancholy quality that is never entirely dissipated: the latter, written three years afterwards to celebrate the 80th birthday of the Budapest Philharmonic Society, is brimful of vivacity, with a riotous gypsy finale that is played her with most exhilarating brillance.'