Painting: "The Mourning of Laszlo Hunyadi" by Viktor Madarasz.
History: From the premiere of his first opera, "Batori Maria" in 1840, Ferenc Erkel, Hungarian composer, conductor, choirmaster and founder of the Philharmonic Society, was acknowledged as a leading composer. With this first glorious success, Erkel devoted his composing efforts exclusively to the stage, and two months after the premiere a new libretto was in preparation. The new work, "Hunyadi Laszlo", first performed in 1844, became the most successful of his operas in Hungary. While the opera's subsequent productions in Vienna (1856), Zagreb and Bucharest (1860) were all reasonably successful, Thalberg's attempt in 1846 to introduce the work to Paris failed, as did Liszt's endeavors to have it performed in Weimar in 1856. The only parts to find acceptance outside Hungary during the nineteenth century were a march, a coloratura aria composed in 1850 for the soprano La Grange and the overture, composed in 1845, considered to be Erkel's finest orchestral work.
Narrative: The plot, a Gothic tale of extreme social injustice, centers on a situation that is all to similar to Erkel's masterpiece, "Bank Ban": the heroic Laszlo (tenor) receives in his castle King LaszIo V (tenor) who is under the sinister influence of Count Ulrik Czilley (baritone). Using LaszIo's refusal to admit the King's entourage, Czilley persuades his master of the Hunyadis' disloyalty. Laszlo's mother, Erzsebet (soprano), pleads with the King for her son's life; in acknowledgment for the their past services to the nation, the King relents. He is, however, attracted to Maria (soprano), the beloved of Laszlo, which leads to Laszlo's arrest during the lovers' wedding ceremony and his prompt execution. The story is, perhaps, a touch crudely developed (neither Maria nor Erzsebet are true living individuals; the courtiers' scheming is poorly presented and, as in the case of Donizetti's "Torquato Tasso", only serves to further elevate the heroic standing of title character) but its stark realism and romantic drive provide Erkel with more than enough opportunities to enchant us with music.
Music: The premiere of "Laszlo" marked, for Hungary, the birth of a purely national opera and made Erkel a national hero (a status which was only further established by the creation of "Bank Ban"). Strikingly, however, the composer's actual musical idiom is quite similar to the one employed by the Russian composer, Glinka: the basic framework of French grand opera (there is even a ballet, albeit a short one) wedded to copious Italian influences, as well as just a hint of national melodies. Indeed, some of the work's gestures wouldn't seem out of place in Donizettian opera: Maria even has an aria with obbligato flute (though, unlike, for example, Lucia, she is perfectly sane when she sings it). However, Erkel, while using foreign structures, manages to create a truly Hungarian musical world: the use of national motives notwithstanding (the csardas and the palotas dances in the wedding scene), the composer creates a stunning tableau of rare dramatic trust and even fierce drive which one rarely encounters in belcanto. While the rather infrequent ensembles are no more than competently done (Erkel actually deals with the arrest of Laszlo during the wedding scene in one minute, whereas one could easily imagine a full finale at this point), the numerous arias are all noticeable in one way or another: Erzsebet's noble, curiously haunting music reminds one of Verdi's Leonora; both tenors are given infinitely appealing material, especially delightful is Laszlo's first aria, set to a pure harp line; Maria's sublime aria, mostly composed of two extended cadenzas, is, perhaps, less concentrated than any of the other solos, but it would be impossible to deny the piece its melodic loveliness; even the slightly pointless cavatina for Laszlo's younger brother is melodically arresting. All in all, Erkel comes, perhaps, the closest to successfully combining the elegance of belcanto and the richness of Germanic opera, a style that was attempted by many but achieved by few. A marvel.
Recording: The 1985 Hungaroton Classic recording that I am using in this instance sets the benchmark almost too high for any new productions: Janos Kovacs, leading the virile Hungarian State Opera Orchestra/Chorus and the Hungarian Army Chorus provides the listener with an almost definite account of the score. While the singers, headed by Sylvia Sass, all sing as if their life depends on it. One could not wish for a more well-sung account.
Andras Molnar - Laszlo V,
Istvan Gati - Count Czilley,
Sylvia Sass - Erszebet,
Denes Gulyas - Laszlo,
Zsuzsana Denes - Matyas (soprano), Laszlo's brother,
Sandor Solyom-Nagy - Miklys Gara (baritone), Maria's father,
Magda Kalmar - Maria,
Jozsef Gregor - Miholy Szilogyi (bass),
Miklos Mersei - Rozgonyi (baritone),
Attila Fulop - A lieutenant (tenor).
Hope you'll enjoy :).
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A real stunner! Gorgeous! TY.
paulostroff99 1 year ago
Vraiment magnifique!
77Opera 2 years ago