On 12 February 2021, two internationally acclaimed soloists, Éva Bátori and Andrea Meláth performed a selection of their favourite arias on the Sándor Hevesi Stage of the Eiffel Art Studios. Their programme including excerpts by Italian, German and Russian composers wasstreamed from 8:00 p.m. on Facebook and Origo.hu.
Soprano Éva Bátori pursued her studies at Budapest’s Franz Liszt Academy of Music and the Wiener Staatsoper’s opera studio. As part of her international début, her first contract took her to Leipzig, where it was primarily in roles in the operas of Mozart that she took the stage. Later, in Cologne, she continued to expand her repertoire with heroines in Italian operas. It was in these roles that the audience of the Hungarian State Opera first saw her, before she excelled in Hungarian and Slavic masterpieces as well as contemporary works. She is also well-known all around Europe, in the USA, China and Japan. She was named a Hungarian Artist of Merit in 2005, and a Hungarian Artist of Excellence in 2019.
Mezzo-soprano Andrea Meláth graduated from the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music in 1998, as a scholarship-holder, she participated in the Bayreuth Festival in 1996. She made her debut at the Hungarian State Opera in 1999, at the premiere of János Vajda's Leonce and Lena. She has been a permanent soloists of the institute since then. Her repertoire ranges from Baroque operas to contemporary compositions, and she frequently appears as a soloist in oratorios. She is a regular guest on international stages from the Far East to Canada. Her achievements were awarded with the Ferenc Liszt Award in 2001, and she was named a Hungarian Artist of Merit in 2018.
Artistic director of the performance: Mária Anna Kovács
Pianist: Bálint Zsoldos
Hosted by Dániel Mona
Programme:
R. Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier – The Marschallin's aria from Act 1 ("Da geht er hin") – Éva Bátori
Wagner: Az istenek alkonya – Waltraute's monologue from Act 1 ("Höre mit Sinn was ich dir sage”) – Andrea Meláth
Verdi: Aida – Aida's aria from Act 1 ("Ritorna vincitor") – Éva Bátori
Verdi: Un ballo in maschera – Ulrica's aria from Act 1 ("Re dell’abisso, affrettati") – Andrea Meláth
Brahms: Intermezzo in A Major, Op. 118, No. 2 – Bálint Zsoldos
Mussorgsky: Khovanshchina – Marfa's prophecy from Act 2 ("Silï potaynïye, silï velikiye") – Andrea Meláth
Tchaikovsky: The Queen of Spades – Liza's aria from Act 3 ("Uzh polnoch' blizitsia") – Éva Bátori
Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin – Tatiana and Olga's duet from Act 1 ("Slyhali I' vy") – Éva Bátori and Andrea Meláth
The performance can be viewed HERE.
Photo by János Kummer