György Lehel studied music at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, as well as privately with Pal Kadosa for composition and Laszlo Somogyi for conducting, and made his debut as a conductor in 1946. He went on to work for Hungarian radio as a conductor from 1950 and was awarded the Liszt Prize in 1955 and 1962, the year in which he was appointed as chief conductor of the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, also known as the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. Under his direction the orchestra became one of the best in Hungary; it also toured widely and appeared at the 1968 Cheltenham Festival in England, performing music by Gordon Crosse and Elizabeth Maconchy. Lehel himself developed an active international career as a guest conductor, appearing throughout Western and Eastern Europe, including the USSR, America and Japan. He was honoured with the title of Merited Artist of the Hungarian People’s Republic in 1967 and received the Kossuth Prize in 1973. Having become permanent guest conductor of the Basle Radio Symphony Orchestra in 1974, Lehel continued to be active right up to his relatively early death in 1989.

An expressive conductor with a clear and firm beat, Lehel could be relied upon to deliver unaffected readings of a wide repertoire. This extended from the Baroque era to the twentieth century, where he was an especially sympathetic interpreter of music by Hungarian composers: a strong supporter of contemporary Hungarian music, Lehel had many new works dedicated to him. His discography was large, but only limited elements of it have remained generally available since his death. Of note are the recordings which he made of music by his compatriots Bartok, Dohnanyi, Kodaly and Liszt.

© Naxos Rights International Ltd. — David Patmore (A–Z of Conductors, Naxos 8.558087–90).