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.
