King Matthias wandering

Original title: Mátyás király vándorúton
Opera for children in two acts
Libretto: Zsófia Tallér

Duration:
I. Act – approximately 35 min
II. Act – approximately 45 min

King Matthias’ Wandering is a two-act children’s opera and the final completed stage work by Zsófia Tallér. It was premiered on 6 April 2024 at the National Theatre of Pécs. The libretto, written by the composer, is based on two well-known Hungarian folk tales: The Judge of Kolozsvár and King Matthias Goes Stealing. These stories are brought to life with humour and vivid musical characterisation, blending traditional motifs with a fresh and accessible dramatic tone.

King Matthias is a central figure in Hungarian folklore, often portrayed as a wise and just ruler who roams the land in disguise to listen to his people and right wrongs. These tales continue to resonate with young audiences today, offering both entertainment and timeless moral lessons.

The opera pays tribute not only to this legendary king but also to the power of music and storytelling to connect generations.

Roles:

  • MÁTYÁS KIRÁLY, king – high baritone
  • TIBRILLI, jester – tenor
  • HORDÓ, fat monk – baritone
  • KÓRÓ, skinny monk – contra-tenor or mezzo-soprano breeches role
  • BANDZSA, short knight – bass
  • FINDZSA, tall knight – tenor
  • BÍRÓ URAM, judge – bass
  • BÍRÓ FELESÉGE, judg’es wife – soprano
  • FŐMINISZTER, minister – tenor
  • FŐMINISZTERNÉ, minister’s wife – mezzo-soprano
  • SZÉP CIGÁNYASSZONY, pretty gypsy lady – alto
  • BÚS KATONA, PACZOLAY GYÖRGY, sad soldier – high tenor
  • KAR, NÉP, KATONÁK, choir, people, soldiers – Puppeteers
  • KÉT HAJDÚ, JANCSI GYEREK, ÁRUSOK, 2 mercenary soldiers, Little John, merchants – Soloist form the group of puppeteers
  • KOCSMÁROS, innkeeper – non-singing role

Arrangement (Chamber orchestra):

  • 1 Flute
  • 1 Oboe
  • 1 Clarinet in B flat
  • 1 Bassoon
  • 2 Horns in F
  • 1 Percussionist (Triangulum, Toms, Tambourin)
  • Strings (2, 2, 3, 2, 1)

Performances at Pécsi Nemzeti Színház.

The sheet music is not yet available for public distribution.

Aprószentek

Opera in two acts

Libretto: Zsófia Tallér based on a novel by Szilárd Rubin, and its stage adaptation Where Even the Wolf is Good (Gábor Németh and Péter Gothár) , with the kind permission of the rights holders.

The opera has a duration of approximately 80 minutes.

Cast and Instrumentation

JANCSÓ PIROSKA – coloratura soprano
SZILÁRD RUBIN I. – actor, spoken role
SZILÁRD RUBIN II. / MIKES, firefighter – tenor
MRS. KOVÁCS – alto
TWO WOMEN – 2 mezzo-sopranos
SÁNDOR FARKAS, police lieutenant – baritone
SOVIET SOLDIER – high baritone
GUARD – baritone
BORBÁLA KARÁCSONY, prison guard – soprano
MAJOR BUNDÁS – bass
COLONEL RAGULIN – tenor
MARIKA DOBOS, victim – soprano
MARIKA KALOCSAI, victim – soprano
MRS. SÜTŐ – mezzo-soprano
DOCTOR – spoken role
ILKA CZENE (the Sütő family’s neighbour) – soprano (chorus)

Silent extras: Jancsó Borbála, her father, Józsika, Márton Sütő

Women’s and girls’ choir (approx. 20–24 singers, children and adults)

Chamber Orchestra
1 Flute
1 Oboe
1 Clarinet in Bb / Bass Clarinet in Bb
1 Bassoon
2 Horns
1 Trombone
1 Timpani
1 Percussion (tambourine, snare drum, tam-tam, triangle, cymbals, suspended cymbal)
1 Piano
1 Harp
String quintet (2 Violins, 1 Viola, 1 Cello, 1 Double Bass)

About the Story

The stage adaptation of Aprószentek (Holy Innocents) was first presented in 2013 at Katona József Theatre in Budapest. Szilárd Rubin (1927–2010) was associated with Újhold, a defining Hungarian literary journal of the 20th century, and belonged to the same circle of writers and poets as János Pilinszky, Ágnes Nemes Nagy, and István Örkény. He shared a legendary, deep friendship with Pilinszky. Though a late-recognised talent, Rubin’s work finally began to receive its due recognition only in the final years of his life and posthumously. Péter Esterházy once wrote of Csirkejáték:

“It is rare in Hungarian literature to find such attentive scrutiny of one’s own darkness; a lack of sentimentality, a cold flame of dispassionate interest, something bare or pagan in its gaze—not objective, but direct and unhidden. Rare. There is composure, even in defeat, in shame, or in hysteria: things are as they are. This composure is what makes the book unique; a meteor, a Martian—yet fully present.”

The core narrative of Aprószentek is based on a true crime that occurred between October 1953 and August 1954: the disappearance of five teenage girls in the Hungarian town of Törökszentmiklós. Suspicion fell on 20-year-old Piroska Jancsó, who was ultimately convicted and executed. But in 1950s Hungary, the line between real investigation and political fabrication was dangerously blurred. Piroska initially accused Soviet soldiers of the crimes, later claimed she acted alone, and finally implicated her own mother.

Twelve years later, while searching for literary inspiration, Rubin encountered a photograph of Piroska and became obsessively fascinated by her. He believed the case was the product of a show trial and spent over forty years researching and writing his haunting, fragmented novel Aprószentek, which was published in 2012. Through the fog of mystery, legal proceedings, and his own profound emotional entanglement, Rubin crafted a Dostoevskian vision in which guilt and punishment are viewed through a strikingly different lens. Though rooted in a brutal crime, the opera’s emotional and symbolic structure echoes the world of Hungarian folk ballads and is shaped by mythological motifs. Its tone is infused with the quiet, piercing humanism associated with Pilinszky’s thinking.

Composer’s Note

I first saw Where Even the Wolf is Good in 2013, directed by Péter Gothár at the Katona József Theatre. I was deeply moved. The emotional complexity and sheer gravity of the subject—both the underlying tragedy and Rubin’s personal story—compelled me to create a work for ensemble and voices in operatic form.

Péter Gothár, Gábor Németh and Rubin’s literary heir, Péter Siklós, all gave their full support to the project. I was fortunate to have Gábor Németh’s assistance with the dramaturgy.

O Notte

Chamber cantata for soprano, recorder, clarinet, vibraphone, violin and viola da gamba commissioned by opera singer Júlia Vajda

Italian lyrics by Michalengelo

PARTS:

I. O notte, o dolce tempo…  (2 min 20 sec)
II. …Tu mozzi e tronchi… (2 min 10 sec)
III. … O ombra del morir… (1 min 50 sec)
III. Vivo al peccato… (1 min)
V. .. Serva mie libertá… (1 min 30 sec)

Composer’s Note

This cantata was composed at the request of Júlia Vajda. I slightly modified my original instrumentation to include flute, clarinet, triangle, harp, vibraphone, violin, and cello. I deliberately omitted the double bass to keep the texture in the middle and upper registers, creating a floating, bass-less sound world with a somewhat archaic character.

While selecting the text, I ultimately chose the poetry of Michelangelo. I wanted the focus to be on transience — and to reflect this theme, I sought verse from a bygone era. My plan was to set Renaissance or Baroque poetry in its original language. Shakespeare’s English felt too elusive; with Italian Renaissance and Baroque literature I found no such barrier. I also wished to avoid widely known texts, which led me away from Shakespeare and toward Michelangelo.

In setting the text, I aimed for conciseness and emotional distance. I wanted to avoid melodrama or sentimentality. The instrumental writing is quite motoric, weaving a strict texture around a restrained vocal line. I divided the selected lines from two of Michelangelo’s poems into five movements. The vocal style avoids all romantic or expressive traits, instead evoking the simplicity of the Renaissance — both musically and in performance.

Although the work is scored for modern instruments, its true sonic ideal would include Baroque strings and a recorder alongside the ensemble.

Premiere:
11 June 2021, 7:00 PM
Kortárs Korzó
Korzó Zeneház, Szeged

Boribon muzsikál

on the poem of Veronika Marék

realized on CD by UNIVERSAL in 2010

 

„Fonogram“ Award for the Best Album for Children by the Hungarian IFPI, 2011

Johanna

operafilm, directed by Kornél Mundruczó

libretto: Bálint Harcos and János Térey

Premiere at Cannes, 2005 – Un Certain Regard

 

The yellow stork

Original title:

A sárga gólya

Music for a Chinese tale with narration

 

First performed by Concerto Budapest and Péter Cseke at the Zeneház in 2003

Encounters

Original title:

Találkozások

Cantata for mezzo-soprano, baritone solo and orchestra, poems by János Pilinszky

Performed by MAV Symphony Orchestra, in Liszt Academy Concert Centre in 1994

Márta Lukin mezzosoprano

Sándor Egri baritone

Conductor: Zsolt HAMAR