Dohnányi’s Symphony no.1 in D minor, op.9, was one of the Hungarian composer’s early successes.

Chief among the work’s late Romantic influences is that of Brahms. Dohnányi treads a path of early Neo-Romanticism – a continuation of the 19th-century style that avoids the expressionist violence of early 20th-century modernism. His authoritative treatment of the large orchestra is reminiscent of Mahler and Richard Strauss, teeming in details that are a hallmark of the quality of the work.

His Symphonic Minutes, op.36, was written in 1933; the five short movements were incorporated into a larger ballet project.

This album launches a new Capriccio series of recordings of Dohnányi’s works that remain less well known, but deserving of a wider audience.