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In a previous post (Bánk Bán — a Great Opera from a Small Country) I wrote about the Hungarian composer, Ferenc Erkel, and his main opera, Bánk bán.
Hunyadi László is another great opera by Ferenc Erkel but – similarly to Bánk bán – it is also unknown to the international audience. The reason, again, can be that the plot of the opera is too closely connected to Hungarian medieval history and can be hard to assimilate abroad. However, it is definitely worth getting acquainted with, as it is full of beautiful arias, choir parts – many of these could be an “opera hit”.
After all, the basic line of the plot is not too complicated. King László V (tenor) (around 1400) is a talentless and weak ruler who nevertheless loves drinking and women. The knights of the young prince, László Hunyadi (Leslie or Ladislaus of Hunyad, tenor), kill the wicked patron and friend of László V because of a political intrigue but the king (apparently) forgives them and the prince attributing the case to the fiery Hungarian temper.
However, later the king meets Mária (Maria, soprano), the fiancée of Prince László and wants her to be his lover. The father of Mária, the first lord of Hungary after the king, apparently supports the desire of the king as his own daughter is only a tool for him to put down king László and acquire the throne for himself.
Finally the king sentences Prince László to death and he is executed.
This is a very sad ending but the Hungarian audience knows from the history of the country that László would lose the kingdom soon and die; Mátyás (Matthias), the younger brother of Prince László, will be a new and great king.
My favourite parts of the opera are the following:
Aria of prince Laszló to his fiancée, Mária
In this love song Prince László confesses how much he is longing for his fiancée, Mária, during his service in a castle on the Hungarian border (while waiting for a possible attack of the Turkish army). “Come to me Mária, one of the angels of Heaven,” he says; “You are my Sunshine sending the rays of the dawn,” he continues. That is, we have a classical love song (in the Italian operatic style at that time) but the tune is beautiful.
Meghalt a cselszövő (The plotter has died)
It is a great choir sung by the Hungarian knights/soldiers when they learn that the king forgives them. They say that – as the plotter is dead – there will be no more quarrel among the Hungarian and the Nation has finally found its true king. But during the happy choir the king says at low voice that he wants revenge, and the executioner’s axe is waiting for the head of Prince László…
Szememben mámor, öröm ragyog (Rapture and joy in my eyes)
Mária sings this before her wedding with Prince László. A subtle soprano aria in the traditional Hungarian style “verbunkos”.
Mily szép vagy édesem (How beautiful you are, My Love)
This duet is sung by Mária and Prince lászló when they meet before their wedding. From the lyrics: “How beautiful you are no matter you are happy or sad, I see God on your face…” The style of the duet is the traditional Hungarian “verbunkos”.
Palotás (Palotás, a dance in the courts of the medieval Hungarian lords)
The guests dance in the wedding of Prince László and his fiancée, Mária. Before the event ends, however, soldiers come and take László to the prison… The dance itself represents a beautiful Hungarian tradition, the dance tune, however, was written by Erkel in the traditional Hungarian style “verbunkos”.
Áldjon meg isten (God bless you)
Mária opens the door of the prison and asks László to escape. However, he rejects as a prince does not do so and his innocence will turn out soon. Finally the father of Mária discovers them and the chance has gone… The young pair bids farewell: “God bless you my knight/my beautiful angel, your true lover waits for you even after the grave…”
Aria of the mother of prince László
In this difficult soprano aria the mother of prince László describes her fears that something fatal will happen to his sons, László and Matthias. The aria is often called la Grange aria since Erkel intended it for the famous female singer Anne la Grange.
There are young Hungarian directors who sometimes try to show this opera as a romantic drama about honour, love and violence – regardless of Hungarian history. It is not impossible that one of these versions will be succesful abroad, too.