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Szerelem (Love)

Alternative titleEnglish title: Love
Year2015/16
FormatOpera in one act, 3 parts and 12 scenes
Runtime66′
Instrumentation / setup
Solo roles: Luca (soprano); Irén, the old housekeeper (mezzo-soprano); Old Lady, Luca’s mother-in-law (alto); János, her son (lyric tenor); Luca’s mother (mezzo-soprano); Guard (speaking role); Second Prisoner (speaking role and tenor); Sergeant (speaking role); Doctor (bass).

Chorus: SMATBB (prisoners, prison guards, co-tenants and everyday people).

Orchestra: 3 flutes (III doubling piccolo); 3 oboes (I doubling alto recorder, II doubling tenor recorder, III doubling tenor recorder and cor anglais); 3 B-flat clarinets (I and II doubling harmonica, III doubling harmonica and B-flat bass clarinet); 3 bassoons (III doubling contrabassoon); 4 horns in F, 2 trumpets in C, 2 trombones, tuba; timpani and percussion (4 players: suspended cymbal, bass drum, thundersheet, egg shaker, maracas, sandpaper blocks, 3 bongos, glockenspiel, triangle, onstage bell/ring, tam-tam, vibraphone also played with a bow, 3 cowbells, small snare drum, large snare drum, 2 timbales, anvil, bowed waterphone, whip, gong, crotales, 3 different metal instruments, 3 different wooden instruments, timpani); harp; one keyboard player (celesta and organ); strings (violin I, violin II, violas and violoncelli each divisi up to 5; double basses).

About the work

A one-act opera in Hungarian, based on Tibor Déry’s novellas and the film Szerelem (Love) by Károly Makk, with screenplay by Péter Bacsó. The Hungarian State Opera presented the world premiere in October 2016, in the year marking the 60th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.

Background / credits

CommissionCommissioned by the Hungarian State Opera, 2016
TextLibretto by Judit Varga, based on short stories by Tibor Déry and the screenplay of the film Szerelem (Love) by Károly Makk and Péter Bacsó

Premiere / performances / awards

Releases / press / sources

Recording / release
Magyar Opera 200 · live recording of the world premiere · Hungarian State Opera · 21 October 2016 · released 2017Szerelem (Love) — Spotify album ↗
Press / review
“Vargas Musik, von Tibor Bogányi im Graben plastisch dargestellt und von den Solisten souverän interpretiert, spiegelt mit erstaunlicher Virtuosität verschiedenste kompositorische Techniken und sorgt dafür, dass die Ambivalenz der Szene triftig wird: Traurig-groteske Szenen am Krankenbett wechseln mit nostalgisch-ironischen Traumbildern ab. Und es sind insbesondere einige frühbarocke Passacaglia-Allusionen, die von jener Liebe «erzählen», die – ähnlich erschütternd – in Bartóks «Herzog Blaubarts Burg» als Unmöglichkeit postuliert wird.”Máté Mesterházi · “Liebestod” · Opernwelt, 2016/12

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