The viola does not play a leading role in the stereotyped notions of Hungarian music. Nor is the viola found in the "Gypsy music" still diligently practiced for tourists, in which violin and double bass are the leading instruments. The picture is not very different in classical music. Acting as a slight but necessary corrective, this disc of Hungarian viola music from composers including Liszt, Ferenc Farkas and Antal Dorati features Máté Szűcs, current first Principal Violist of the Berliner Philharmoniker who appears in concert throughout Europe as a soloist and chamber-music player.
