The 50th programme of the Masquerade series on 14 March 2021 featured soprano Gabriella Fodor and tenor Zoltán Megyesi. Their aria recital dedicated to Tchaikovsky and French composers was streamed from 8:00 p.m. on Facebook and Origo.hu.
Gabriella Fodor completed her studies in the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music's Department of Vocal and Opera Studies, where her teachers were Éva Andor, Balázs Kovalik and Judit Németh. In addition, she attended master classes held by Anna Reynolds, Krisztina Laki, Júlia Hamari, Ralph Döring and Martina Veh. She made her debut with the Hungarian State Opera in the 2004 Hungarian premiere of Britten's opera The Turn of the Screw. Her repertoire ranges from Baroque pieces to contemporary compositions, and she is a regular soloist of oratorios as well. Her achievements were rewarded with the Artisjus Award in 2003, and the Dr. Andor Mándi Award in 2009.
Zoltán Megyesi pursued his vocal training in his hometown of Szeged, where his first singing teacher was Valéria Berdál. He is a winner of several national and international singing competitions. Beside his wide-ranging opera repertoire, he frequently appears in oratorios, masses, passions and cantatas. He made his debut at the Hungarian State Opera as Ferrando in Così fan tutte, the following one and a half decades saw him appear in various productions from Baroque operas to contemporary pieces. During his international career, he performed in many European cities as well as the United States, Japan and Korea.
Artistic director of the performance: Judit Niklai
Pianist: Anikó Katona
Hosted by Szilveszter Ókovács
Programme:
Tchaikovsky: Iolanta – Iolanta's aria ("Otchego eto prezhde ne znala") – Gabriella Fodor
Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin – Lensky's aria from Act 2 („Kuda, kuda”) – Zoltán Megyesi
Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin – Tatjana's letter scene from Act 1 ("Puskai pogibnu ya") – Gabriella Fodor
Lalo: Le roi d'Ys – Mylio's aria from Act 3 ("Vainement, ma bien-aimée") – Zoltán Megyesi
Tchaikovsky: The Queen of Spades – Lisa's aria from Act 3 ("Uzh polnoch blizitsya") – Gabriella Fodor
Meyerbeer: L'Africaine – Vasco da Gama's aria ("O, Paradis!”) – Zoltán Megyesi
Bizet: Carmen – Micaëla and Don José's duet from Act 1 ("„Parle-moi de ma mère!") – Gabriella Fodor and Zoltán Megyesi
The performance can be viewed HERE.
Photo by Valter Berecz