Hungaroton: Varietas Delectat 8. — József Attila, Hungaroton Classic (Audio CD, 2005)

In VERY GOOD condition! As pictured! Buy with confidence!

Product Details

• UPC: 5991811432829
• Catalog Number: HCD 14328
• Product Type: Audio CD
• Brand / Label: Hungaroton Classic
• Subject: Poems by József Attila, recited by Hungarian actors
• Release Year: 2005
• Genre: Spoken Word / Hungarian Literature
• Style: Hungarian poetry, verse recitation
• Audio: Digital Stereo / Mono (AAD, DDD)
• Total Runtime: 77'43"
• Publisher: Hungaroton Records Ltd.

Product Features

• Format: Standard jewel case CD
• Tracks: 23
• Performers: Latinovits Zoltán, Szirtes Ádám, Koncz Gábor, Horváth Ferenc, Major Tamás, Sinkovits Imre, Gobbi Hilda, Jordán Tamás, Gábor Miklós, Ruttkai Éva, Berek Kati, Papp Zoltán
• Audio: Digital Stereo / Mono
• Runtime: 77'43"
• Condition: Very Good — disc and packaging in excellent used condition
• Manufactured: Hungary

Overview

The Varietas Delectat series from Hungaroton Classic is one of the most important spoken word archives in Hungarian recorded culture — a systematic documentation of Hungary's greatest actors performing the country's canonical poetry. Volume 8 is devoted entirely to József Attila (1905–1937), widely regarded as Hungary's finest 20th-century poet and one of the most significant voices in European modernist literature.

The 23 tracks gather multiple actors performing the same poems, allowing direct comparison across interpretive traditions. Nine of József Attila's central works are represented: Április 11, Tiszta szívvel, A város peremén, Elégia, Mama, Eszmélet, A Dunánál, Hazám, and Íme, hát megleltem hazámat. The performers include some of the defining figures of 20th-century Hungarian theatre and screen: Latinovits Zoltán — whose voice is inseparable from the Hungarian poetic tradition — Major Tamás, Sinkovits Imre, Gobbi Hilda, Ruttkai Éva, and Gábor Miklós, among others.

Each poem is presented in two or three separate readings, each bringing a distinct temperament and vocal approach. The differences are illuminating: Eszmélet, for instance, runs to over five minutes in Latinovits's reading and just under four in Jordán Tamás's — not because the text changes, but because the interpretive weight shifts entirely. For students of Hungarian literature, actors, or anyone who grew up with these poems, this disc is an exceptional document.

The recording quality spans both original archival sources (Mono) and later studio productions (Digital Stereo), reflecting the multi-decade range of the recordings collected here.

Interesting Facts

• József Attila (April 11, 1905 – December 3, 1937) was born into extreme poverty in Budapest and died at 32; his poetry — rooted in psychoanalysis, Marxism, and intense personal experience — achieved canonical status in Hungary within a generation of his death.
• Április 11 refers to the poet's own birthday; the poem's opening line is among the most quoted in Hungarian literature.
• A Dunánál (By the Danube), represented here in three readings, is widely considered József Attila's greatest single poem — a meditation on Hungarian history, identity, and the flow of the Danube that concludes with one of the most celebrated stanzas in the language.
• Latinovits Zoltán (1931–1976), who appears most frequently on this disc, was regarded as the greatest Hungarian actor of his generation; his verse recitations are considered definitive by many and are studied in Hungarian schools to this day.
• Gobbi Hilda (1913–1988) and Ruttkai Éva (1927–1986) were two of the most acclaimed Hungarian actresses of the 20th century; both are represented here in rare spoken-word recordings.
• The Hungaroton Varietas Delectat series spans more than a dozen volumes covering Hungary's major poets; volume 8's focus on József Attila makes it arguably the most sought-after in the series given the poet's cultural centrality.

Track Listing

Április 11.

1. Latinovits Zoltán 2'05"

Tiszta szívvel

1. Szirtes Ádám 0'52" / 3. Koncz Gábor 1'02" / 4. Latinovits Zoltán 0'37"

A város peremén

1. Horváth Ferenc 4'20" / 6. Major Tamás 4'26" / 7. Sinkovits Imre 4'53"

Elégia

1. Major Tamás 3'04" / 9. Gobbi Hilda 3'20" / 10. Jordán Tamás 2'14"

Mama

1. Gábor Miklós 1'16" / 12. Latinovits Zoltán 1'15" / 13. Ruttkai Éva 1'16"

Eszmélet

1. Major Tamás 5'11" / 15. Latinovits Zoltán 5'27" / 16. Jordán Tamás 3'58"

A Dunánál

1. Major Tamás 4'16" / 18. Berek Kati 4'32" / 19. Papp Zoltán 4'42"

Hazám

1. Major Tamás / 21. Gobbi Hilda / 22. Papp Zoltán (timings partially obscured in booklet)

Íme, hát megleltem hazámat

1. Latinovits Zoltán (timing partially obscured)

Total runtime: 77'43"

Publishers

© 2005 Hungaroton Records Ltd. Hungaroton Classic, HCD 14328. www.hungaroton.hu

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