Zuglói Nyári Színház 2017. / Heltai Jenő: A néma levente

There are evenings when our Opera House cannot perform because rehearsals are ongoing on stage until the evening. There are audience members who can only afford to hear their favourite pieces with a discount. And there are works that, although very popular, cannot be staged every season due to the congestion of productions.

Set in the Roman Empire around 74 BC, Spartacus was László Seregi's first true full-length ballet, which at one stroke became a milestone in Hungarian dance life. Since 1968, one generation after another has enjoyed the historically themed choreography, which treats the story of the ancient slave revolt in such a way that its true message is not the rebellion itself, but rather human emotions and choices under pressure.

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.