Zoltán Kodály
Háry János
Singspiel in two parts, in Hungarian, with Hungarian and English surtitles
There is no life without stories. Zoltán Kodály's Háry János, however, is one of the greatest dreamers to ever take the musical stage: “Everything he says is reality interwoven with fantasy, illuminated with the genius of folk tales”, declared the composer. The marvellous adventures of the rascally veteran from Nagyabony combined with Hungarian folk songs scored for full orchestra have been enchanting audiences since 1926. Discussing the production that has run at the Erkel Theatre since 2013, director Attila Vidnyánszky said, “Háry János is about how, amidst the centuries of failures and defeats of Hungarian history, to find in our dreams a salve for these wounds.”