CHRYSANTHEMUMS, OR THE DEATH OF LIÙ to Premiere at Hungarian State Opera

By: Jun. 06, 2019
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CHRYSANTHEMUMS, OR THE DEATH OF LIÙ to Premiere at Hungarian State Opera The world premiere of Chrysanthemums, or The Death of Liù runs June 8-9 at the Hungarian State Opera.

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.

Puccini is in the middle of writing his opera La Fanciulla del West. For the past four years, Doria Manfredi has been working as a servant in the Puccini household, where she is treated as a member of the family. She worships the master, who, although happy to be living surrounded by his family, always seeks a new muse for each work. He has just found the model for the opera's female protagonist in the person of Doria's cousin Giulia. Puccini's wife, Elvira, senses that her husband has got mixed up in a new affair, but a misunderstanding leads her to very publicly accuse Doria of betrayal. The young girl escapes by taking her own life, but Puccini makes her immortal by using her as the basis for the self-sacrificing servant Liù in Turandot. Her aria is the last bit of music that the master sets to paper before his death.

The opera's cast features: Olasz Renátô as "Puccini," Tankó Erika as "Elvira," Mészöly Anna as "Doria," Bajor Lili as "Fosca," Stork Natasa as "Giulia," Orsolya Hajnalka Röser as "Soprano" and Gergely Boncsér as "Tenor."

The creative team includes Szálinger Balázs (Dramatist), Giacomo Puccini (Music), Szilveszter Okovács (Concept), Bálint Szilágyi (Director), Sándor Márkus (Visual Designer), Eszter Orbán (Dramaturg) and Szilvia Mikó (Piano).

For tickets and more information about the opera, tap here.



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