"Shattered, abandoned, dead..." – Exhibition in memory of the Opera House victims of the Holocaust

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.

“I've captured a terrific storm of elements and of hearts which gradually calms to Brünnhilde's magic sleep,” Wagner on the score of Die Walküre, in a letter to Ferenc Liszt. Following on the heels of the introductory Das Rheingold, this opera about the tragic love between two of Wotan's children constitutes the start of the more tightly drawn dramatic trilogy. Once again, the laws of the gods clash: can paternal love save a lad who has violated the sanctity of marriage?

The series launched in the 2025/26 season focuses on composers whose operas receive special attention during the season. Yet there are many singers who do not find a role in the works of these masters, but who would gladly sing from their rich vocal palettes. The piano afternoons and matinees are for them, about them, and inspired by them.