This is the latest concert in a major series in which Zoltán Kocsis and the Hungarian National Philharmonic perform rarely heard stage works of Richard Strauss. This edition features two extraordinary works in one evening. On this occasion, the audience will hear a pair of operas the composer wrote one after another in 1938 and originally intended to be performed side by side on the same programme. The creation of these works was influenced partly by the political climate of the time: Stefan Zweig, classified as a persona non grata, was unable to continue collaborating with the composer on the libretto of Friedenstag and suggested Joseph Gregor for the task. Although the work achieved extraordinary success in the years following its première, today it is one of the most rarely performed operas in the Strauss repertoire.
Gregor was also responsible for the libretto of the other work on this evening’s programme, the mythologically themed Daphne, which premièred in the Budapest Opera House in the 1939/40 season and is regarded as one of Strauss’s most lyrical operas. The composer’s fourth opera with a Greek setting, the work was revived a few years ago in a performance by Kocsis and his orchestra with outstanding solo singers, and we can now enjoy this rare opportunity once again.

A joint production of the Hungarian National Philharmonic and Müpa.

Presented by: Hungarian National Philharmonic, Müpa Budapest