Bartók Plus Opera Festival, with its production Bartók Marathon was the flagship of the Bartók-Year celebrations in 2016. In the year of 2017 bringing a Kodály anniversary, the festival is again in the forefront of the programme focussing on Zoltán Kodály, the composer, world-renowned music educator and ethnomusicologist.
Zoltán Kodály believed that the Western World is not interested in how we can mimic it but is eager to know what we have to offer as a cultural contribution. Bartók Plus Opera Festival has undertaken to initiate the creation of contemporary popular opera. It claims that the audience should regain the right of judgement while composers in high quality operas and other compositions, should find ways to bring joy to many people with their music.
In search for the new popular opera the festival’s stages are opened to works stretching the limits of the opera genre. We are relentless in our quest for new directions for popular contemporary opera to contribute to the rebirth of the genre. Therefore, the 2017 programme, in addition to Zoltán Kodály’s major works, stages a number of world premieres: Scaevola (opera), A Mester és Margarita (The Master and Margarita) (opera-musical), A Lutherek (The Luthers) (ragtime-opera). Bernstein’s Candide is a true rarity in Hungary, just like Astor Piazzolla’s tango-operita, Maria de Buenos Aires, while the sequel to Madama Butterfly, Jr. Butterfly, a guest performance of the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago at Bartók Plus has not yet been performed in Hungary.
The exclusive concert programme of the festival includes the appearance of the Pannon Philharmonic, I Musici di Roma and the Russian Chamber Philharmonic St. Petersburg. The “Opera for Thousands” project will present Zoltán Kodály’s singspiel, Székely fonó (The Spinning Room) to pay tribute to the world famous music educator, composer and ethnomusicologist. Psalmus Hungaricus and Budavári Te Deum, considered to be the heights of Kodály, the composer’s oeuvre can be heard at the Opening Concert of the festival.
Programme of Bartók Plus Opera Festival 2017 »
