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Hunyadi László is a historical grand opera from Hungary. The epic covers the life and death of the 15th-century soldier and politician, Hunyadi László, son of János Hunyadi who defended Hungary against the attacks of the Ottoman Turks. When the new weak King, László V, takes a shine to Mária, László’s fiancée, the young man is arrested and his fate is sealed. The executioner’s axe falls - several times - on one of opera’s most grizzly finales. Rivalling Bánk Bán as Ferenc Erkel’s most popular work, the success of Hunyadi László, which premiere in 1844, is undoubtedly linked to patriotic feeling at the time; nationalist crowds sang excerpts from the opera during the 1848 anti-Austrian revolution. Routed in conventional of grand historical opera, the music nonetheless has real individuality and Hungarian flavour, with orchestral rhythms remissent of Liszt’s Rhapsodies. This production was staged for the reopening of the magnificent opera house in Budapest in March 2022. Szilveszter Ókovács’s production comes complete with the original sumptuous costumes and authentic scenery, artfully combined with projections and the help of Hungarian State Opera’s brand new stage machinery. CAST King László V Dániel Pataky Ulrik Cillei, the regent András Palerdi Erzsébet Szilágyi Klára Kolonits László Hunyadi Szabolcs Brickner Mátyás Hunyadi Melinda Heiter Miklós Gara Gábor Bretz Mária Gara Erika Miklósa Rozgonyi Attila Erdős Dancers Dancers of the Hungarian National Ballet Students of the Hungarian National Ballet Institute Orchestra Hungarian State Opera Orchestra Chorus Hungarian State Opera Chorus Music Ferenc Erkel Text Béni Egressy based on Lőrinc Tóth’s drama Conductor Balázs Kocsár Director Szilveszter Ókovács Artistic consultant András Almási-Tóth Sets and costumes Krisztina Lisztopád Lighting Tamás Pillinger Video design Zsombor Czeglédi Stage managers Resz Miklós Artistic assistant Erika Tóth Assistant director Mária Anna Kovács Choreographer Tamás Solymosi Assistant choreographer Marianna Venekei Chorus Master Gábor Csiki Children Chorus Master Nikolett Hajzer
