Antal Doráti

Hungarian born American conductor, composer, arranger, teacher and painter Antal Doráti was born in Budapest on 9 April 1906. His mother was a piano teacher and his father was a violinist in the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra.  He studied at the Franz Liszt Academy with Zoltán Kodály and Leo Weiner (composition) and Béla Bartók (piano).

His conducting debut was in 1924 with the Budapest Royal Opera, and he held principal conducting posts with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the American National Symphony Orchestra in Washington DC, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

The first of over six hundred recordings was with the London Philharmonic Orchestra on His Master's Voice. His most important recording project was  a complete Haydn symphony cycle and eight Haydn operas.

Doráti gave masterclasses at the Music Academy in Budapest, at the Royal College of Music in London, at the Salzburg Festival, at Dartington and Bern - Basel.

He died on 13 November 1988, aged eighty-two, in Gerzensee, Switzerland.

Some of Doráti's paintings and drawings can be seen at www.dorati.com

 

A selection of articles about Antal Doráti

CD Spotlight. Strong Utterances of Protest - Gerald Fenech listens to music by Allan Pettersson. '... this is far from easy music ...'

CD Spotlight. Much Élan - Music by Gershwin, heard by Robert Anderson. 'Eugene List is a brilliant and idiomatic keyboard soloist ...'

CD Spotlight. Quite Magical - Marin Alsop conducts Dvorák Symphonies, enjoyed by Howard Smith. 'The Baltimores' finale sings and blazes with equal compulsion ...'

Profile. The Hungarian Nightingale - A meeting with Gisela Doráti, better known as 'Gizi', by Bill Newman

Life's Fulfilment - Bill Newman recalls the affection he felt for the great Hungarian conductor-composer Antal Doráti, who would have been 100 years old today

Profile. Tête-à-Tête - Bill Newman talks to British pianist Mark Bebbington

CD Spotlight. Mastery of orchestration - The music of Antal Doráti, recommended by Ron Bierman. 'Sharon Bezaly's tone is gorgeous ...'

Profile. After Antal Doráti - Bill Newman visits pianist Ilse von Alpenheim at her home in Switzerland