Erkel: Hunyadi László

 Opera no 91

Erkel: Hunyadi László

Soloists

Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra

Domonkos Héja

I was very impressed by Erkel’s Bank Ban in last year’s project (https://andrew365newpieces.blogspot.com/2025/07/erkel.html) and said that I was looking forward to hearing more of his music. So I was glad today to listen to this second opera of his. It is less well known than the (comparatively) famous Bank Ban- it is mainly remembered today because Lillian Nordica made a very-well regarded aria from the opera in the earliest days of recording - I listened to that again after hearing this recording - it makes quite an impression.

The opera has everything that one wants and expects from a mid 19th century nationalist opera. Plenty of drama, with good tunes and local colour. Early Verdi is perhaps the most prominent influence but there are plenty of coloratura passages which sound more like Donizetti. The more overtly nationalist elements in the score do sound to my inexpert ear authentically Hungarian but more than once I was reminded of Johann Strauss - not the waltzes but some of the fast music. It is a reminder that Austria and Hungary are geographically close and of course were politically aligned during the 19th century. 

Kodâly: Hary Janos

Opera no 90

Kodály: Háry János

Soloists

London Symphony Orchestra

Istvan Kertesz

I’ve know the  Háry János suite since school days - I have played it but unfortunately never with a cimbalon, But this was the first time that I had heard the complete opera. This is the famous recording with Peter Ustinov doing the narration and all of the voices. To be frank I think that the approach now seems rather dated - ‘funny foreign accents don’t really work nowadays, though there is no doubt that Ustinov was a compelling raconteur - he was always a favourite of my parents.

Hearing the opera like this made is seem more like a radio play with incidental music - I didn’t really get a sense of what it might be like as a stage work. There is no doubt that the best music is in the suite - though there was some attractive passages - particularly the chorus music towards the end. So I was quite pleased to have heard the whole thing, but I suspect that it will be the suite which I return to.  

Bartók: Duke Bluebeard’s castle

Opera no 11

Bartók: Duke Bluebeard’s Castleloists

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra

Anja Bihlmaier

This was a live performance at the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham.  I had heard the opera years ago but didn't remember much about it.

Hearing it live really brought out the extraordinary power of the orchestral writing. Bartók uses a large orchestra, including organ, 2 harps and offstage brass. The effect when they are playing - such as when the fifth door opens - is highly impressive. With all of the orchestra on stage the singers here did struggle a bit to be heard over the weight of the orchestra, 

The vocal writing here does seem secondary to the orchestra. Indeed I can’t imagine that is a particularly satisfying work to perform as a singer. These is very little in the way of extended arias - much of the vocal writing consists of small fragments of arioso often with phrases repeated several times over. I suppose that Pelleas was an important influence here, though the music is a long way away from Debussy. Indeed it didn’t seem entirely characteristic of Bartók either - I think of him mainly in terms of complexity of rhythm and folk-based melodic inspiration and neither of these were I think particularly apparent in this work.

I certainly was glad to hear it again after a very long gap. I didn’t get the sense that Bartók was a natural opera composer and it is perhaps significant that he never returned to opera.