Ernst von Dohnanyi in a new perspective
Ilona KOVACS

Ernő Dohnányi (1877–1960) was one of the most influential musicians of 20th century Hungarian music history. As the chairman-conductor he led the Philharmonic Orchestra for a quarter of a century from 1919; he was the director of the Academy of Music twice – in 1919 and in 1934–1943; from 1931 he was also the head of the music department of the Hungarian Radio. His positions required him to perform diverse social functions, including his role as a member of the Upper House of the Hungarian Parliament. First and foremost, however, he was one of the greatest pianists and outstanding composers of his age. Research into his œuvre gained new momentum in the 1990s thanks to, among others, the author of the present volume, who already became a devoted researcher of the Dohnányi œuvre when she was still a student of musicology at the Academy of Music in Budapest.