On 19 December 2020, internationally acclaimed bass-baritone Gábor Bretz presented his favourite arias on the Sándor Hevesi Stage of the Eiffel Art Studios. His recital was streamed from 8:00 p.m. on Facebook and Origo.hu.
Budapest-born Gábor Bretz first studied in Los Angeles before returning to Budapest to continue his training. At the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music he trained under such renowned personalities as Sándor Sólyom-Nagy. The audience of the Hungarian State Opera first saw him in 2003, he has since been a recurring guest there. His repertoire includes operas by Mozart, Verdi, Wagner, Gounod, Boito and Bizet as well as a number of Hungarian composers. He can frequently be seen as a soloists of concerts. He is also an acclaimed performer at international opera houses: he has appeared at the New York Metropolitanben, the Royal Opera House in London, La Scala, and on stages of Munich, Berlin, Vienna, Amsterdam, Bologne, Hamburg and Tokyo. He became Chamber Singer for the 2012/13 season at the Opera, his achievements were awarded by the Ferenc Liszt Prize in 2013, and he was named Hungarian Artist of Merit in 2020. For his recital, he chose pieces by Verdi, Halévy, Mozart, Verdi and Wagner, his guest was another internationally acclaimed singer, the Kossuth Prize recipient coloratura soprano Erika Miklósa.
Artistic director of the performance: Judit Niklai
Hosted by Melitta Gyüdi
Featuring on the piano: László Bartal
Programme:
Verdi: Ernani – Silva's aria from Act 1 ("Infelice!... e tuo credevi")
Halévy: La Juive – Cardinal de Brogni's aria from Act 1 ("Si la rigueur et la vengeance")
Mozart: Don Giovanni – Leporello's aria from Act 2 ("Ah pietà, Signori miei")
Bellini: La sonnambula – Amina's aria from Act 2 ("Ah non credea mirarti") – performed by Erika Miklósa
Wagner: Lohengrin – König Heinrich's prayer from Act 1 ("Mein Herr und Gott, nun ruf’ ich dich")
Bellini: La sonnambula – Rodolfo's aria from Act 1 ("Vi ravviso, o luoghi ameni")
Mozart: Don Giovanni – Don Giovanni and Zerlina's duet from Act 1 ("Là ci darem la mano") – featuring Erika Miklósa
The performance can be viewed HERE.
Photo by Attila Nagy