1 Comment
· 24/01/2026
Do you have information on conductor Antal Dorati's visit to conduct your orchestra in concerts in summer 1945? He may also have re-visited Lima in later years.
R Chlupaty
The Doráti Society
- This commment is unpublished.
· 24/01/2026@Richard ChlupatyHello Richard,as far as I could find out Antal Dorati visited Lima only once in June 1945, which in Lima is winter. During his time there, he conducted at least three major concerts with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional (OSN) at the Teatro Municipal de Lima.But his visit in Lima wasn't just a series of performances. The OSN was founded only 7 years before in 1938 and was seeking international prestige by inviting world-class conductors, among them Antal Dorati. As he was known as orchestra builder his time with the OSN was a rigorous period of training for the young Peruvian ensemble. He pushed the orchestra toward a more modern, precise sound.His third concert in Lima is particularly famous in Peruvian music history for featuring "one of the fastest synchronizations in the history of the OSN." He brought contemporary works to the repertoire that had only recently premiered internationally, showcasing his reputation as a "fervent promoter of the music of his time".On June 15, 1945, the Peruvian newspaper El Comercio published an interview with him, titled "Con Antal Dorati: Una interview al afamado director húngaro," which still is available in El Comercio's archive.I'm not sure what exactly you are looking for, but helpful might be to get in contact with the Teatro Municipal in Lima directly. Just send them a message via Facebook or an e-mail under teatrosmunicipales @ munlima.gob.pe, best in Spanish and hope they get back to you. But as the theater was destroyed in 1998 by a fire, many documents got lost. Or try the Museo Metropolitano del Teatro. They might still have information interesting to you.Another option if you are looking for specific program notes or the exact pieces played, many of these are archived in the "Archivo de la Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional" in Lima, a small part has recently been digitized as part of their 80th-anniversary research last year.The OSN’s historical documents and recordings are managed by the Ministerio de Cultura del Perú. You can find digitized programs, historical photos, and administrative documents under Repositorio Institucional del Ministerio de Cultura - OSN. If you, for example, search for "OSN 1945" you find two books "80 años. Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional del Perú" and "La Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional (1938 - 2002)", which might contain at least a few words about Dorati.Or contact the OSN directly; on the OSN website using their contact form (under contacto OSN) or elencosnacionales @ cultura.gob.pe.However, the best would be to travel to Lima, visit the different archives in person.I wish you all the best for finding out more about Antal Dorati's time in Lima.GreetingsEva
