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György Ránki (1907-1992) studied with Kodály and made extensive studies of oriental folk music. He had a deep interest in the grotesque and the unusual, and his music is filled with bold colors and - importantly - lots of humor. He wrote much music for the stage and film music, including music for cartoons. And the music for the opera King Pomádé, based on the Andersen tale of the emperor's new clothes, must surely be influenced by that cartoon music writing. Listening to this marvelous work one is very often reminded of the wild, busy, eclectic and extremely effective music written for Tom & Jerry cartoons or the early, short Disney episodes (Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck). The opera was a success in its time, and the suites from it can still be heard - not only in Hungary - but the opera as a whole is a really recommendable experience; an hour of raucous, busy, grotesque, buoyant and brilliant musical fun. The music draws heavily on Hungarian folk music but the end result doesn't really sound anything like the more famous composers of his generation of slightly before (Bartók, Kodály, Lajtha, Farkas or others).It does not entirely avoid banality, but even in the less melodically inspired parts (which are, admittedly, relatively few and far between), this is counterbalanced by the superb orchestration and the generally exuberant atmosphere. So overall, this is a splendidly vital and vivacious and brilliant work. The singing is perhaps not always of international standard (but in a work like this it actually matters less), but is generally more than merely good. The orchestral playing is very good, however; Geza Oberfrank leads the Budapest Symphony Orchestra in a performance that might not be the most refined imaginable, but which shouldn't be and is instead sparkling with life and enjoyment. In short, the performers seem all to have had a splendid time, and that really comes across in this recording. The sound is nothing to write home about. So, I cannot really pretend that this recording is without its blemishes; still, if it sounds like it might appeal I urge you to consider it.