Deryk Barker wrote:

>There are two by Kertesz, etc.

I am curious that so many Americans prefer non-Slav, Hungarian (Kertesz,
Szell, Solti, Dohnanyi, Dorati) conductors of the music of the Slavic Czech
composer Dvorak. Does such "affinity" derive from the two countries being
next-door neighbors? Or is there some other dynamic at work that escapes me?
If being neighbors is what does it, then presumably Czech conductors should
have an "affinity" for the music of Bartok, Kodaly, Liszt et al. That's not
to say any given Hungarian, or any other given non-Czech conductor, could
not do a great job conducting Dvorak, and some do, but why does it always
seem politically correct over here that the best must be by a Hungarian?

Personally, I would not trade my Taliches (2), Kubelik (Chicago), Neumann
(1971), Toscaninis (2), Levine and (Colin) Davis for any of the Magyars.
But that's what makes for discussions.

John Dalmas
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