The tenth episode of OperaWednesday presented highlights from Richard Strauss's magnum opus on 25 November 2020. The best excerpts from Die Frau ohne Schatten were interpreted by internationally renowned leading soloists of the Hungarian State Opera. The performance was streamed on Facebook and Origo.hu from 8:00 p.m.
The daughter of the Emperor of the Spirit Realm turned from a gazelle into a beautiful girl. Hunter and prey fell in love with each other: the fairy girl became the Empress of the Southeastern Islands. Since then, light has penetrated her body as if she were of glass: a spirit trapped in the world of humans. If she cannot obtain her shadow, the Emperor will turn into stone… Conceived at wartime, this tale is about humanity, self-sacrifice and the appreciation of happiness.
The highlights featuring costumes created for the 2014 premiere at the Opera House by internationally acclaimed designer Kati Zoób as well as projected images from János Szikora's production were staged by Katalin Lázár. The performance featured Ildikó Komlósi (Amme), Eszter Sümegi (Kaiserin), István Kovácsházi (Kaiser), Szilvia Rálik (Die Färberin), Zsolt Haja (Barak / Geisterbote), Anikó Bakonyi (Falke), Eszter Zemlényi (Hüter der Schwelle des Tempels) and Erika Dallos (piano). The performance was narrated by Dániel Mona.
The performance can be viewed HERE.
Photo by Péter Rákossy