Rarities by Beethoven in two parts, in Hungarian and German, with Hungarian and English subtitles
The double bill presented to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth combine literature, poetry, dance, and video animation. The two pieces of incidental music by the composer genius originally written on commission by the German Theatre of Pest for its opening in 1812 made their way to the OPERA's repertoire recently. In König Stephan, Ungarns erster Wohltäter (King Stephen, Hungary’s First Benefactor), the musical numbers follow each other only loosely: first illustrating the great monarch’s personality, then the adoption of Christianity and the establishment of the Hungarian kingdom. Die Ruinen von Athen (The Ruins of Athens) presents an ancient story with modern questions. Everything that surrounds us, global climate change, the pandemic, mass immigration, result in enormous pressure and continuous change, often leading to ruin. In 1924, the piece was reworked by Hugo von Hofmannsthal and Richard Strauss, who incorporated Beethoven's ballet music Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus (The Creatures of Prometheus).
The double bill was staged by actor/director Pál Oberfrank, who can also be seen in the title role of König Stephan, along Kinga Fekete as Gizella and András Kőrösi as Vazul. Die Ruinen von Athen features soloists István Rácz, Zoltán Nagy, Viktória Avedikian, Zita Váradi, Zsófia Papp, and dancers of the Hungarian National Ballet in a choreography by Marianna Venekei. The Hungarian State Opera Orchestra and Chorus (chorus director: Gábor Csiki) are conducted by Péter Oberfrank.
The recording was made on 3 October 2021 at the Eiffel Art Studios.