A gyáva

A century ago, the world first encountered this remarkable opus, a work that soon became one of the cornerstones of twentieth-century musical innovation. Premiered in 1926, the singspiel is a milestone in Hungarian music history: its composer, Zoltán Kodály, fulfilled his aspiration to elevate Hungarian folk song of ancient origin to the same status as classical music, by virtue of its equivalent values, placing it on the stage of the nation’s Opera House.

János Hunyadi is responsible for the tolling of bells around the world; Mátyás Hunyadi is the hero of a string of folk tales; László Hunyadi inspired “only” an opera.

The world-renowned American baritone, who recently celebrated his 70th birthday, sang in choirs and studied music from childhood. After winning several competitions, he was taken under the wing of the legendary coloratura soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, which helped launch his European career.