CSÁRDÁSKIRÁLYNŐ

Not only is the Staatskapelle Dresden one of the oldest orchestras in the world, it is also among the very best, helmed in recent decades by such conductors as Giuseppe Sinopoli, Bernard Haitink, Fabio Luisi and Christian Thielemann.

In each of their creative musical statements, the female performers who formed the group in Bamako ten years ago have spoken out for women's rights and the eradication of violence. Their rich, melodic music combines stylistic elements of pan-African traditions and contemporary pop songs.

This full-evening "crime story" of a dance drama takes as its starting point Barcsai's Lover, one of the most estimable of Hungary's balladic treasures. After cuckolding her husband, a wife awaits a terrible punishment. But how did things actually get to this point?