In a sensational Hungarian double bill of taut psychological drama at Müpa, Péter Eötvös' Senza sangue proves a thrilling partner to Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle.
A double bill of operas that were literally made for each other, Péter Eötvös wrote his one act masterpiece Senza sangue in 2015 to act as a partner piece for Bartók's Duke Bluebeard’s Castle.
In this concert, conducted by Simone Young, featuring works by Hungarians, Bartók and Eötvös, the colour and virtuosity of both pieces was presented with an extra tingle factor.
Despite the burbling streams with which Smetana's Vltava trickles into life, this was no pastoral stroll on the gentle slopes of Bohemia, Hungary and Poland.
Péter Eötvös conceived his opera SenzaSangue (Without Blood) as a complement to Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle. Dmitri Tcherniakov has now staged and designed Senza Sangue together with Bluebeard's Castle for Staatsoper Hamburg.
The applause and screams at the premiere were raucously frenetic – and while the hysteria seemed a bit exaggerated, an energetically positive reception was completely justified.
The most memorable thing about this concert for me was the sheer glory of the Philharmonia’s playing. Whether it was in the winning, sprightly Mozart overture, or in all the glinting colours of Peter Eötvös’ new work, or in the full and rich late-Romantic orchestral tones of the Bruckner, these musicians, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, were magnificent.
The Los Angeles Philharmonic’s January 20 concert, the last in its “Focus on Eötvös” mini-residency, may as well have been called “Focus on Hungary.” The small, landlocked country, with barely over 9 million residents, has exerted – and continues to exert – a powerful influence on music.
"Con Brio" is a term which demands excitement, strength, and enthusiasm. This evening‘s Toronto Symphony Orchestra New Creations Series concert was based upon exactly these concepts. To kick off the program, Peter Oundjian led the TSO through the Canadian première of Jörg Widmann's concert overture Con Brio. The timpani opened followed by brief grandiose chords.
Eötvös' drei Melancholie-Schwestern führen das Frankfurter Publikum durch die todtraurigen und absurden Existenzformen des postmodernen menschlichen Daseins.
Die mehr als fünfminütige Kadenz spielte Kristóf Baráti mit schwingender Agogik, selbst in kräftigen Akzenten immer sonor, sauber im Klang und glockenrein – Ausdruck, nicht Eindruck oder extrovertierte Virtuosität.
Flüchtige Szenen, Absurdes, Trauriges: Der Goldene Drache spricht die Fragen der Globalisierung an und bietet extravagante Musikalität von Peter Eötvös.
