PRZED SKLEPEM JUBILERA (THE JEWELLER'S SHOP) / CHRYSANTHEMUMS, OR THE DEATH OF LIÙ

The namesake of the square where the Erkel Theatre is situated was the author of serious literary works and had close ties to the theatrical world: during his university years, the future Pope John Paul II organised literary gatherings and belonged to several dramatic companies, some of which he led. Karol Wojtyłá’s 1960 dialogue in verse The Jeweller’s Shop centres on three couples who go to a jeweller’s shop to obtain engagement rings. By relating the stories of the different couples, the philosophical text examines the themes of love and the sanctity of marriage. In this production, the Opera has paired the Polish “dramatist” with the always remarkable sounding musical world of his friend the recently deceased contemporary Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki as accompaniment for the prose actors.

Although Puccini was well known as an admirer of the fair sex, this is something that his wife, Elvira, found less and less tolerable. Falling victim to the woman's jealousy was their maid, Doria Manfredi, who eventually killed herself after first being hounded with suspicions and later ejected from the Puccini household. The girl's innocence was proved at the autopsy. Fifteen years later, the composer immortalised Doria's memory in the character of the self-sacrificing servant girl in Turandot: Liù's swan song comes on the last page of Puccini's original score, which was completed after his death.

Starting in 2018, it has been the Opera's aim to both support contemporary Hungary literature and serve the cause of opera by taking inspiration from dramas that are grounded in opera history itself. After Balázs Szálinger's Siegfried Idyll, the institution has again engaged the Attila József Award-winning poet/playwright, this time to create a dramatic piece, inspired by Puccini's “Crisantemi” string quartet and melodies from Turandot, about the tragic story of the young maid.

In co-production with the University of Theatre and Film Arts Budapest