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