Following an online premiere last year, Mozart's popular singspiel is now presented live on 29 April 2022 in a new production by Miklós H. Vecsei featuring video projections by the group Kiégő Izzók – Glowing Bulbs and a new Hungarian translation by Dániel Varró. Cast includes Erika Miklósa, Péter Balczó, András Palerdi, Rita Rácz, János Szerekován and József Wunderlich under the baton of Martin Rajna.
A gripping plot – in this case the story of young lovers fighting to escape the seraglio – is in and of itself one of the keys to a successful dramatic work. However, the varied music written by a twenty-something Mozart, with its freshness and a few oriental touches, makes the singspiel Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio) completely irresistible. The piece composed by Mozart at the age of 26 premiered in Vienna in 1782. Although it was his eleventh stage work, his contemporaries and music historians stated it is his first "grand" opera that brought him real fame.
Staging his first opera is Miklós H. Vecsei, a director of Mozartian youthfulness, who authored the spoken parts himself for his extraordinary production based on the combination of text, music and visuals. The performance is sure to be fresh and sometimes a bit irreverent toward operatic traditions also thanks to video projection group Kiégő Izzók – Glowing Bulbs, costume designer Kinga Réta Vecsei, and a new Hungarian translation by Dániel Varró. (English subtitles are available.)
The main roles of the production are performed by Erika Miklósa (Konstanze), Péter Balczó (Belmonte), Rita Rácz (Blonde), János Szerekován (Pedrillo), András Palerdi (Osmin) and József Wunderlich (Pasha Selim). The Hungarian State Opera Orchestra and Chorus (chorus master: Gábor Csiki) are conducted by Junior Prima Award recipient Martin Rajna, making it his debut as an opera conductor at the Hungarian State Opera.
