Antal Dorati

(b Budapest, 9 April 1906; d Gerzensee, 13 Nov 1988). American conductor of Hungarian birth. After study in Budapest he conducted at the Royal Opera there (1924). From 1933 to 1945 he was associated with ballet companies in Europe and the USA. His abilities as an orchestral trainer were recognized in appointments with the Dallas SO (1945-9), Minneapolis SO (1949-60), BBC SO (1962-6) and Detroit SO (1977-81). He championed Bartók's music and gave many first performances and with the Philharmonia Hungarica recorded all Haydn's symphonies. His conducting was distinguished by vigorous direct rhythm and an ear for colour. His own compositions make no concessions to contemporary fashion.

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Dorati, Antal (b Budapest, 9 Apr. 1906, d Gerzensee, nr. Berne, 13 Nov. 1988). Hungarian-US conductor who was second conductor for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo (1935-7), conductor for the Original Ballet Russe (1938-41), and music director of Ballet Theatre (1941-5). He also arranged the music for several ballets including Lichine's Graduation Ball (after J. Strauss, 1940) and Fokine's Bluebeard (after Offenbach, 1941). In the 1950s he conducted the first complete recordings of Tchaikovsky's ballet scores. His autobiography Notes of Seven Decades was published London, 1979.

• Period: Modern (1910-1949)
• Born: April 09, 1906 in Budapest, Hungary
• Died: November 13, 1988 in Gerzensee, Switzerland
• Genres: Ballet

Biography

Conductor Antal Dorati was known for his crisp, rhythmically alert performances and as a highly respected ensemble builder. Both of Dorati's parents were professional musicians, and he learned to play the cello as a child. He also began composition lessons with Leó Weiner when he was just 12, completing three youthful operas before entering the National Hungarian Royal Academy of Music at 14. There, he continued to take composition with Weiner, but also from Zoltán Kodály, and piano with Béla Bartók. The works of the two latter men would become specialties in his conducting career. His first professional position, just after graduating in 1924, was as répétiteur at the Budapest Royal Opera House, where he soon conducted, as well. In 1928, he went to the Dresden Opera to be assistant to Fritz Busch for a year, then was appointed music director in Münster, where he stayed until 1933. Dorati then joined the conducting staff of the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo. During the 1930s, in addition to his Ballet Russes position, Dorati began guest-conducting in Europe and America. Named music director of the American Ballet Theater in 1941, this was his first opportunity to demonstrate his ability to build an orchestra, quickly establishing a professional ensemble. He did the same to revitalize the Dallas Symphony Orchestra during his 1945-1949 tenure. In 1947 Dorati became an American citizen. Each of his appointments was marked by special achievements for the conductor and orchestra together. With the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (1949-1960), he made a number of well-regarded Mercury Living Presence recordings. When he left the BBC Symphony Orchestra in 1963 after four years, he was honored with a concert of his compositions. He then took over the Stockholm Philharmonic (1966-1970). With the National Symphony Orchestra (1970-1977) and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra he helped inaugurate new and renovated concert spaces, respectively. In addition, he continued to guest conduct and form close relationships with other orchestras, taking a particular interest in the refugee orchestra, the Philharmonia Hungarica. He eventually recorded all of Haydn's symphonies with that ensemble, and also recorded eight of Haydn's operas with the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra. Dorati's nearly 600 recordings and his skills brought him many prizes and honors over the years. When he retired, he was able to turn to other creative outlets, such as writing, drawing, and painting. ~ Patsy Morita, All Music Guide

Discography

Beethoven: Missa Solemnis Buy this CD	Vienna: Music by Schoenberg, Webern and Berg Buy this CD	Antal Dorati Conducts Kodály & Bartók Buy this CD	Dorati Conducts Respighi Buy this CD	Stravinsky: The Firebird (Complete Ballet); Fireworks; Song of the Nightingale Buy this CD
Bartók: Concerto for orchestra; Dance Suite Buy this CD	Wagner: Preludes & Overtures Buy this CD	Gershwin: An American in Paris; Copland: Rodeo, Four Dance Episodes Buy this CD	Dorati Conducts Satie, Milhaud, Auric, Françaix & Fetler Buy this CD	Giuseppe Verdi/Gioacchino Rossini: Overtures Buy this CD

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