Four stars - Kőhalmi Zoltán, Csenki Attila, Lovász László, Szupkay Viktor, mv: Noé Bex

Henry Purcell’s epic masterpiece, Dido and Aeneas has to do with the Trojan War. But what is even more important than the historical background of this hour-long little gem is love – as Dóra Barta, the director of the production highlights it, “Humanity has long known that if there is something you can die of, Love is certainly such a thing.

As it is a latent Kodály season, it seems only fitting that the concert at the OPERA honouring the events of 1956 should feature works by the composer. In that same year, the short-lived Revolutionary Council of Hungarian Intellectuals elected him as its president. Throughout his entire oeuvre, Kodály consistently reinforced Hungarian national identity. The programme gains both colour and a ceremonial character from the hymn-like and dance-infused compositions of his middle and later years.

The Mexican-born tenor’s singing career began in an unusual way: baritone Arturo Nieto knocked on his door after hearing him sing and suggested he train his voice.