Máté Bella: Spring Awakening, Árpád Solti: La violetta A Zeneakadémia saját szervezésű programja

Franz Wedekind’s ‘tragedy of childhood’ (1891) and The Violet (1921), a one-act play by Ferenc Molnár, the former a work that provoked a scandal with the straightforward depiction of adolescent desires, and the latter a theatrical series of humorous scenes, are placed alongside each other at the exam production of the Opera Department. Recent pieces by Máté Bella and Árpád Solti have already won applause, assisting students towards reaping success at similar exam performances at the academy. This is no surprise considering that both operas were encouraged and commissioned by András Almási-Tóth, director-professor of the department: first, Máté Bella’s work in 2012, then a year later the one by Árpád Solti. “Writing an opera is a turning point in the life of a composer,” said Árpád Solti in an interview on the birth of La Violetta. This is no exaggeration. And what is obvious for an outside observer is that both ‘first operas’ are viable, effective and rewarding pieces, holding the promise of a great future.