Zoltán Kodály, like his compatriot Béla Bartók, wrote major orchestral scores that were deeply enriched by his research into Hungarian folk music. The Dances of Galánta are full of swagger and vitality, and the Concerto for Orchestra, commissioned for the Chicago Symphony’s 50th anniversary, is lush, sparkling and vivid. Like the Variations on a Hungarian Folk Song, ‘The Peacock’, a virtuoso showcase of sizzling effects, these scores reveal the brilliance of his orchestral colours and the indelible allure of gypsy themes.