Antal Dorati will be remembered as a pioneering recording artist for the first complete (and still celebrated) recording of all the Haydn Symphonies. A Decca landmark recording since the series began in the mid-1970's the discs were made with Dorati's beloved Philharmonica Hungarica, an orchestra made up of refugees from the 1956 Hungarian Uprising.

Dorati's impact in the 1950's on the then-new medium of stereo was considerable in a Group of discs he made for Mercury with the Minneapolis Symphony including the best-selling (still!) recording of the 1812 Overture.

Antal Dorati was trained at the Liszt Academy in Budapest, studying with Bela Bartok and Zoltan Kodaly. An early career in opera in Budapest brought him to the attention of Fritz Busch at the Dresden Opera where he became an assistant. Dorati's international career began with he famous Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo (founded by Diaghilev) and he always retained a love for the music of the dance.

Dorati had a distinguished career in the opera house and on the concert platform. He held Music Director positions with the BBC Symphony, The National Symphony of Washington DC and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. His pioneering work on disc continued to the end of his career with some of the first-ever digital recordings.