Special offer. Erkel: King Stephen (István király)
János Gurbán (baritone), Zoltán Nyári (tenor), Zsuzsanna Bazsinka (soprano), Kázmér Sárkány (baritone), Tamás Daróczi (tenor), Ildikó Szakács (soprano) & Ákos Ambrus (baritone)
King Stephen Opera Chorus & Budapest Symphony Orchestra MÁV, Valéria Csányi
The steadiest female is the fresh, lucent soprano Ildikó Szakács...Erkel's score is colourful and melodic...[Ambrus's] strong performance is one of the prominent features of his set...János...
Special offer. Erkel: King Stephen (István király)
János Gurbán (baritone), Zoltán Nyári (tenor), Zsuzsanna Bazsinka (soprano), Kázmér Sárkány (baritone), Tamás Daróczi (tenor), Ildikó Szakács (soprano) & Ákos Ambrus (baritone)
King Stephen Opera Chorus & Budapest Symphony Orchestra MÁV, Valéria Csányi
Purchase product
The steadiest female is the fresh, lucent soprano Ildikó Szakács...Erkel's score is colourful and melodic...[Ambrus's] strong performance is one of the prominent features of his set...János...
About
Ferenc Erkel was the father of Hungarian grand opera, as well as an accomplished conductor and pianist. The last of his nine completed operas, István király, is a tale of passionate emotions, love, jealousy, power struggles and murder in which King Stephen, the founder of the Hungarian state and its first Christian ruler, is portrayed as a saint amidst the clash of pagan and Christian worlds. After 125 years of ruinous cuts and alterations to the music and the libretto, this recording is the first to restore the opera to the resoundingly successful form conceived by its composer.
Contents and tracklist
- Janos Gurban (baritone), Jutta Bokor (alto), Zoltan Nyari (tenor), Zsuzsanna Bazsinka (soprano), Kazmer Sarkany (baritone), Tamas Daroczi (tenor), Jolan Santa (alto), Ildiko Szakacs (soprano), Tamas Szule (bass), Ferenc Valter (bass), Akos Ambrus (baritone), Sandor Kecskes (tenor), Janos Fatrai (baritone), Domotor Pinter (bass), Laszlo Deak (organ)
- King Istvan Opera Choir, Budapest Symphony Orchestra MAV
- Valeria Csanyi
- Recorded: 26, 27 August 2012
- Recording Venue: Rottenbiller Street Studio of Hungaroton, Budapest, Hungary
Awards and reviews
May 2014
The steadiest female is the fresh, lucent soprano Ildikó Szakács...Erkel's score is colourful and melodic...[Ambrus's] strong performance is one of the prominent features of his set...János Gurbán possesses a sturdy voice of pleasing quality...and is presented with verve by the orchestra under Valéria Csányi. There are places in which they can let their hair down and revel in Erkel's music.
June 2014
The strength of the performance is the playing, poetic and fiery by turns: Valéria Csányi’s sensitive direction gives the orchestra its head whenever Erkel allows.
