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.

Old Picture of Mother

Original title: Anyuska regí képe

Chamber cantata for soprano solo , viola, cello and piano, commissioned by opera singer Éva Bátori

Approximately 20 minutes in length

Composer’s Note:

This song cycle consists of seven movements based on poems by Dezső Kosztolányi and by Zsófia’s mother, Judit Tallér. Her mother was a harpist, but she also wrote poetry in her early years. She died in 1994, at the age of 49. Zsófia was also 49 years old when she composed this piece in her memory.

The structure is framed by two poems by Kosztolányi — Anyuska régi képe (Old Picture of Mother) opens the work, while Szegény anyám csak egy dalt zongorázik (My Poor Mother Plays Just One Song on the Piano) concludes it. The five inner movements are based on unpublished poems written by Judit Tallér between the ages of 16 and 22.

Movements:

  1. Anyuska régi képe (Old Picture of Mother) — poem by Dezső Kosztolányi

  2. Szomorúság (Sadness) — poem by Judit Tallér

  3. Maradj, csöndem (Stay, My Silence) — poem by Judit Tallér

  4. Keserűen (Bitterly) — poem by Judit Tallér

  5. Hogy… / Mondóka (How… / A Little Rhyme) — poem by Judit Tallér

  6. Ablakom előtt (Outside My Window) — poem by Judit Tallér

  7. Szegény anyám csak egy dalt zongorázik (My Poor Mother Plays Just One Song on the Piano) — poem by Dezső Kosztolányi

The two Kosztolányi settings are subtle, quiet acts of remembrance. In contrast, the five settings of Judit Tallér’s poems are emotionally intense, confessional character songs:

  • Szomorúság rushes forward in breathless eighth-notes and unstable shifting metres, evoking despair through irregular phrasing and harmonic tension.

  • Maradj, csöndem is cradle-like, with lullaby rhythms and unpredictable melodic fragments. It captures the loneliness of self-consolation — and ends abruptly.

  • Keserűen is a morbid death-dance, with raw harmonic textures and syllabic declamation charged with rage and anguish.

  • Ablakom előtt portrays radical isolation. The vocal line is calm and detached, while the instruments maintain a solemn, sacred stasis — even when the viola recalls earlier material, the singer remains withdrawn.

  • Hogy… / Mondóka expresses the flicker of a tentative love. Playful piano gestures are destabilised by the off-kilter entrances of viola and cello. It is the only moment of lightness in the inner cycle.

  • In the closing song, a dogged, knocking accompaniment supports Kosztolányi’s line: “the poor provincial waltz knocks and knocks.” Though not in triple time, the persistent ostinato is funerary in mood. A brief emotional outburst disrupts the pulse — but it soon returns, carrying the song to a quiet close in a questioning C major.

 

This work is dedicated to the memory of Zsófia’s late mother, Judit Paczolay Tallér, who wrote poetry as a young woman between the ages of sixteen and twenty-two. Though encouraged by prominent poets and briefly published under the name Tallér Judit, she never returned to writing. Instead, she devoted her life to teaching piano in rural music schools. A trained harpist, she passed away in 1994 at the age of 49.

Zsófia was the same age when she composed this piece — a quiet act of remembrance, both musical and personal.

Premiere:
10 October 2018, CAFe Budapest Contemporary Arts Festival – Mini Festival, Mirror Hall, Festetics Palace, Budapest

Performers:
Éva Bátori (soprano)
Anita Inhof, András Kurgyis (viola)
Zsanett Szatzker (cello)
Katalin Anducska (piano)

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

Leander and Linseed

Original title: Leándersz és Lenszirom

„for my sons Marci and Zsiga”

 

Opera for children in two acts

Libretto by Barnabás Szöllősi based on the play of Andor Szilágyi

Performed by the Hungarian State Opera for 3 seasons with estimated 15 000 viewers.

original performance directed by: Sándor Zsótér

Released on DVD in 2016 under the name of Útravaló 2016 (Leánder és Lenszirom)

Duration: Act 1 approx. 40 minutes and Act 2 approx. 50 min.

Roles:

LEÁNDER (Leander) , goblin – bass-baritone
LENSZIROM (Linseed), princess – lyric soprano
BOGYÓ, servant of Leánder – baritone
CSIBECSŐR, servant of Linseed – soprano

BÖLÖMBÉR KERÁL, king – bass (bass-baritone)
BÖLÖMBÉR KERÁLNÉ, queen – mezzo-soprano
MAR-SZÚR HERCEG, prince, lord of the wasps – tenor (spinto)
TÖNDÉR NEGÉD, queen of decency and charm – soprano
VAKNADÁLY, lord of the lake – contra-tenor
CSÍJJEGŐS BŐREGÉR, blood bat 1 – alto
CSUJJOGÓS BŐREGÉR, blood bat 2 – tenor
HORLOLÁBOK (1 and 2), 2 guards – male choir members
MÉZELŐK,VÉRBÖGÖLÖK army of wasps – children’s choir

 

Arrangement (Symphonic orchestra):

1. Flauto
2. Flauto / Flauto Piccolo
1. Oboa
2. Oboa / Corno Inglese
1. Clarinetto in Sib
2. Clarinetto in Sib / Clarinetto basso in Sib
Fagotto
Contrafagotto
4 Corni in Fa
2 Trombe in Do
3 Tromboni
Tuba
Timpani
4 Percussionisti (Triangle, Bass Drum, Snare Drum,Tam-tam, Tenor Drum, Cymbals, Suspended Cymbals,
Roto-toms, Castagnets, Shaker,Tamburine,Wind Chimes,Wood Blocks, Crotales,Tubular Bells, Glockenspiel,
Xilophone, Marimba)
Arpa
Celesta
Cembalo
Archi:
Violini I
Violini II
Viole
Violoncelli
Contrabassi a cinque corde

Pert Em Heru

Oratario for 4 solois, mixed choir and symphonic orchestra.

Commissioned by the Béla Bartók International Choir Competition, Debrecen.

Libretto by Zsófia Tallér based on the original German translation of Prof. G. Kolpaktchy

Duration: 45 min

Pert Em Heru – meaning: Coming Forth by Day. This is how the ancient Egyptians called the beginning of the soul’s journey after death. The Egyptian Book of the Dead contains the prayers, monologues, testimonies for the sublime and fearful moment of leaving earthly life, and they are bound to the soul becoming a god. The lines can be read into short chapters, divided into „magic formulas”, so-called Ra-U-s. Most of the many hundred-page Book of the Dead is 5,000 years old, but there are also lines between ten and fifteen thousand years old. They speak to us from a startling distance – at the same time they are shockingly experiential, they talk about familiar feelings, fears, anxieties, trusts, faith.
In contrast to the Christian Requiem texts, this collection does not focus on the grief of the survivors, the prayer for divine grace, punishment, forgiveness, the Almighty, his atonement or glorification, but the experiences of the soul who is the protagonist of the events. who had just „crossed the sacred threshold.” All this is done by in the first person, so in the form of experience, avoiding all lyricism, it practically reports on your journey. The power of the text is not given by the poetry of word usage, but by the always poignant nature of confession; a diary-like account of, moment by moment, what he feels, what the dead “live through”.

This fascinating memory of the death mythology of ancient people is able to appeal to modern man because the language of description is direct, pathos-free, practical. The soul, „stepping out into the radiant light,” reacts in a very authentic, human way: it is almost confused in fear, it simultaneously feels abandoned, euphoric, paralyzed, overwhelming strength, weakness, divine grace, demonic destruction. He feels like an infinitely vulnerable, weak being and omnipotent god at the same time. The text is an unstoppably flood of man’s experience of death, interrupted only in some places by a prayer or anthem.
The soul, having endured the trials waiting for him in the afterlife, and proved sufficiently sinless in the hall of the goddess Maat, avoids the second, final death and can truly step out into the full light of the day. He himself will be a god, „he is free to walk in the circles of the dead.” Now he is his own master, he decides whether to fly from planet to planet, or rather to quietly relax from the hardships of his life, or just return to Earth.

Due to the difficulties of translating the hieroglyphic text and the disappearance of the culture, a full understanding of the Book of the Dead, which is stitched with symbols and references and conveys extremely complex religious knowledge, is not considered possible today. Choosing from the ranks of this fantastic journey was not driven by a desire for scientific authenticity, nor by a religious vocation, but by the possibility of a musical situation inherent in the drama of the ancient text. The volume first came to my attention in the excellent translation of András Bánfalvi, who based on the work of Prof. Kolpaktchy, who translated the original Egyptian text into German. I also searched for this first German translation, and then delving into the German text, I decided to peel the poetic-translator’s creativity from the Hungarian translation, and made the most faithful but raw version of the original text possible. Treating the lines with complete freedom, I wrote the libretto, an aria composed of even the words of several independent magical formulas. This was also possible because the book does not proceed linearly in the presentation of experiences, presenting almost the same cavalcade of feelings over and over again, differently. In his preface, Bánfalvi calls him a „polyphonic fugue,” who accurately recognized the book’s relationship to music. I kept the experience of the text flowing like a stream, and I don’t pause in my forty-minute piece either. Without stopping, but perceptibly, I arranged the web of the items into three large parts, three „RA-U”.
Whether the accounts of the Death Book are true, whether eternal life after death is indeed open to us, or the visions of returnees from clinical death, and the experiences in the Death Book that are strangely consistent with it, are merely due to the fact that after the death of the body the dying of the soul is longer and more visionary – I end my piece with this open question.
My mother twenty and my father twenty-five years ago stepped out into the bright light or rather say coming forth by day. „Pert Em Heru” was born to them. I respectfully thank the work of everyone who undertakes to preforme my oratorio.

Zsófia Tallér

 

List of instruments used:

  • Piccolo
  • 2 Flutes
  • 2 Oboes
  • 2 Clarinets in Sib
  • Bass Clarinet in Sib 
  • 2 Bassoons
  • Contrabassoon
  • 5 Horns in F
  • 3 Trumpets in C
  • 2 Trombones
  • 2 Bass Trombones
  • Tuba
  • Timpani
  • Precussion 3 players (Bass drum, Taiko Drum, Snare Drum, Crasch Cymbal, Suspanded Cymbal, Triangle, Crotales, 
  • Roto-toms, Tam Tam, Glockenspiel, Xylophone, Tubular Bells)
  • Piano
  • Celesta
  • Harp
  • Mixed Choir
  • 4 Soloists: Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor, Bass
  • Strings

 

First performed by:

Kodály Philharmonia Debrecen

Koály Choir Debrecen

Soloists:

Ildikó Katalin Cserna – soprano

Marianna Bódi – mezzosoprano

Zoltán Meggyesi – tenor

Géza Gábor – bass

Conductor: Máté Szabó Sipos

The Horse of the Prince

Original title:

A Herceg lova

Opera in two acts

Libretto by Zsuzsa Rakovszky based on the short story of Tolstoy

Dramaturgists: Zsuzsa Radnóti, László Marton

Heavenly troubles – earthly pleasures

Original title:

Égi gondok – Földi örömök

songs for soprano with piano accompaniment

 

First preformed by Csilla Boross at the 18th MiniFestival (Festival of contemporary music)

 

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 

Karácsony, fekete glória

Cantata for bariton és and string orchestra

Based on the poems of László Nagy László

 

First perfromance was conducted by György Selmeczi