László Dubrovay - Symphonia, Concerto No. 2 etc (1994)

Electronic and orchestral music from László Dubrovay, born 1943 in Budapest.  No recording dates for this collection, but everything here was composed in the 80s.  First up is the three-movement Symphonia (1984-5) which is entirely electronic - Dubrovay recorded it at the Electronic Studio of West Berlin's Technical University, using a Synclavier and Synlab synths.  The work sounds most like a composed symphony transcribed to electronics at its outset, then becomes progressively darker and more atmospheric.  Reminded me of Mikhail Chekalin in places, maybe even some of Vangelis' more avant-garde ventures.

For the rest of the album, Dubrovay's ear-bending and sometimes downright strange writing for orchestra is showcased.  Concerto No. 2 (1981) at first sounds like a nice full-bodied dronescape, then shifts into a vehicle for some brilliantly unhinged trumpeting, "almost croaking and neighing" (liner notes) at points.  Variations On An Oscillating Line (1987) takes the baroque idea of passacaglia variations and creates a queasy, trippy soundworld with it.  Lastly, Triple Concerto for Trumpet, Trombone, Tuba and Orchestra (1989) uses Dubrovay's talent for bizarre sounds to evoke "witnessing the death throes of dinosaurs", like some lurching funeral march.  Don't miss this album - highly recommended.

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