Lajtha: Capriccio, Suite de Ballet, Op. 39 (Orchestral Works, Vol. 2)
Hungarian composer Laszlo Lajtha (pronounced LYE-tah) was an exact  contemporary of Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály, and  probably this century's great Hungarian symphonist. His music has not been  extensively cultivated until recently--he fell afoul of the Communist  authorities after the 1956 Revolution and was for many years neglected.  Fortunately, the French publisher Le Duc believed in his music and published  just about all of it, including the nine symphonies. He was one of the great  orchestrators--if you can imagine a sort of Hungarian Ravel, then you've got the  idea. Marco Polo's series of discs dedicated to the symphonies and other  orchestral works is both important and very enjoyable. Give this lively ballet  suite a shot, and if you like it, move on to the symphonies. Lajtha's is a major  voice.--David Hurwitz