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Péter Eötvös: Le Balcon
opera
Opening Night at The Opera Festival at Aix-en-provence, 2001
Opening Night in Hungary: April 3, 2005. Palace of Arts
Based on Jean Genet’s play written by:
Françoise Morvan, Péter Eötvös and André Markovitz
© Edition Gallimard
Performed in French with Hungarian Subtitles
Cast:
| IRMA / QUEEN (Irma/La Reine) |
Katalin Várkonyi |
| CARMEN (Carmen) | Szilvia Rálik |
| CHANTAL (Chantal) | Apollónia Szolnoki |
| GIRL (La Fille) | Eszter Sára Kővári |
| WOMAN (La Femme) | Viktória Kiss |
| THIEF (La Voleuse) | Erika Gál |
| CHIEF OF POLICE (Le Chef de la Police) |
Péter Fried |
| ROGER (Roger) | Péter Novák |
| BISHOP (L'Évêque) | András Hábetler |
| JUDGE (Le Juge) | Péter Drucker |
| GENERAL (Le Général) | Kázmér Sárkány |
| ENVOY (L’Envoyé) | Attila Bardóczy |
| ARTHUR / HANGMAN (Arthur/Le Bourreau) |
P. Szilveszter Szabó |
| Rebel, photographer | István Hornyák |
| Ede Ploveczky | |
| L. Péter Pálffy |
Musical director: Péter Eötvös and László Kovács
Voice Coach: Géza Köteles, Orsolya Fajger
Assistant Director: Andrea Kováts
Stage manager: József Reményi
Prompter: Hajnalka Poór
Set Designer: Kentaur
Costume Designer: Edit Zeke
Director: Róbert Alföldi
With the Chamber Orchestra of Miskolc
Conductor:
Péter Eötvös (April 3, 2005)
László Kovács (April 4, 2005)
The play „Le Balcon” was written by Jean Genet in 1955. Péter Eötvös adapted the play to opera in a very particular manner with lots of humor and irony. The theme of “Le Balcon” is rather delicate: “Balcon” is a brothel in France. While there is on revolution happening out on the streets amongst the loud roaring of machine guns, the leaders of the society hide in the isolated world of the brothel.
Péter Eötvös is a most acknowledged composer of our days, who received the prestigious international award, the ‘Living Composer Award’ at the MIDEM Festival in Cannes, in 2004. Eötvös started is career with composing soundtracks and electronic music. Later he worked for many years as the music director of the famous French contemporary chamber orchestra, the Ensemble Intercontemporain founded by Pierre Boulez. Today Péter Eötvös lives in the Netherlands, while his compositions are performed all around the world. “Le Balcon” is Eötvös’ second grand opera after the success of “Three Sisters.”
Eötvös borrowed from many different genres as he was composing Le Balcon: from Zeitopern by Weill and Krenek, from the chansons of the 60’s, jazz and swing, as well as from Stravinsky’s tonalities, motifs of folk and baroque music, etc.
The Aix-en-Provence International Opera Festival commissioned Péter Eötvös to compose this opera. The opening of the piece took place in July 2001 during the festival, directed by Stanilas Nordet. Ensemble Intercontemporain participated in the production among other stars, and the composer Péter Eötvös conducted on the opening night.
The performance transferred to many of the European Opera Houses; however, Eötvös sought for a more exciting and lascivious staging of the piece. This is why he chose one of the most interesting young directors, Róbert Alföldi. The performance in Budapest celebrated the opening of the theatre hall of Palace of Arts on April 3rd, 2005. Péter Eötvös conducted on the Hungarian opening night as well.
