Viewers of a previous installment of Masquerade could already enjoy the voice and stage presence of Erika Gál performing Dalila and Gertrudis, on 24 October 2020, the Chamber Singer of the 2014/15 season returned as the star of the show. The aria recital was streamed live from the Sándor Hevesi Stage of the Eiffel Art Studios from 8:00 p.m. on Facebook and Origo.hu.
Audiences of the Opera have been following the career of Erika Gál since 2000, when she made her debut at the Erkel Theatre. Since then, she has performed the most important mezzo-soprano roles including several heroines by Verdi and Wagner. One of her iconic roles is the Queen of Sheba; after the Budapest performances, she achieved critical acclaim in New York and Tel Aviv. She is a recipient of several scholarships and awards: the Hungarian State Opera named her Chamber Singer for the 2014/15 season, this year she received the Silver Cross of Merit. In her aria recital, she made a selection from her Italian and French repertoire as well as evoked a Wagnerian figure. One of her guests was the Ferenc Liszt Award recipient Chamber Singer Attila Fekete, the identity of the surprise guest, Ferenc Endrész, a young talent was revealed during the show. The programme directed by Orsolya Magyari was hosted by Melitta Gyüdi, featured on the piano was Klára Jean.
Programme:
Cilea: Adriana Lecouvreur – Princess de Bouillon's aria ("Acerba voluttà")
Mascagni: Cavalleria rusticana – Santuzza's aria ("Voi lo sapete, o Mamma")
Brahms: Intermezzo in A major (Op. 118, No. 2.) – performed by Klára Jean
Saint-Saëns: Samson et Dalila – Dalila's aria from Act 2 ("Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix")
Donizetti: La favorita – Fernando's aria from Act 4 ("Spirto gentil, ne’ sogni miei") – performed by Fekete Attila
Wagner: Das Rheingold – Erda's aria ("Weiche Wotan! Weiche!")
Bizet: Carmen – Habanera ("L'amour est un oiseau rebelle")
Bizet: Carmen – Carmen and Don José's duet from Act 4 ("C'et toi! C'est moi!") – featuring Attila Fekete
The performance can bee seen HERE.
Photo by Péter Rákossy