PROGRAM
Puccini: La bohème - concert version (cross-section)
FEATURING
Ildikó Cserna (soprano) – Mimi
Attila Fekete (tenor) – Rodolfo
Filip Bandžak (baritone) – Marcello
Ágnes Molnár (soprano) - Musetta
András Káldi-Kiss (baritone) – Schaunard
Marcell Bakonyi (bass-baritone) – Colline
András Hábetler (bass-baritone) – Benoît és Alcindoro
CONDUCTOR
Gergely Kesselyák
Change of program! The Hungarian premiere of Juraj Filas’ Requiem, previously scheduled for November 3, 2023, in collaboration with the Kodály Choir, will be CANCELLED due to economic reasons, and the orchestra will instead prepare a cross-section of Puccini's La Bohème. Thank you for your understanding!
Giacomo Puccinii (1858-1924) is the most successful member of the generation of Italian opera composers who followed Verdi. Following the success of his first opera 'Le villi', he received several commissions, including 'La Bohème' based on the novel by French writer Henri Murger, which was first performed in Turin in 1896 and has remained one of the composer's most popular works ever since. The story is set in Paris in the 1830s. Four young men – Rodolfo the poet, Marcello the painter, Schaunard the musician and Colline the philosopher – live in an attic room in absolute poverty but in great happiness. Accidentally, Rodolfo meets Mimi, the little seamstress, and they fall in love. Marcello also has a lover, Musetta, the singer. They have a turbulent relationship, but the merry life of young people is overshadowed by a dramatic turn of events. Mimi's serious illness forces them to face the threat of death. The four-act opera not only tells the story, but also brilliantly portrays a scene from contemporary Parisian life.
The concert-like performance will be conducted by Gergely Kesselyák, a true opera conductor, who regularly conducts performances at the Hungarian State Opera and several provincial and foreign opera houses with great success. In the main roles: Ildikó Cserna is a Liszt Prize-winning private singer of the Hungarian State Opera. Attila Fekete is a Liszt Prize-winning chamber singer of the Hungarian State Opera and has many tenor roles in the romantic opera repertoire. Filip Bandžak was born in the Czech Republic, studied in his home country and then in Moscow. At the age of 15, he won an international competition, and has performed on stage as a guest singer in many countries around the world. Ágnes Molnár, András Káldi-Kiss, Marcell Bakonyi and András Hábetler have all performed as soloists at the concerts of our orchestra.