Fekete Gyula: Excelsior! – world première

The hero of Gyula Fekete's fifth opera is about a man in his fifties, full of doubts about his private life. He is a composer, who happens to be called Franz Liszt. But Excelsior is neither a documentary nor a historical opera; it is based on facts but inspired by imagination. The librettist András Papp explained: "it is not the musician that we see but a man who makes a decision at a critical point - it could be anyone, but what happens could only happen to Liszt".

Conductor: Gergely Kesselyák
Libretto: András Papp
Direction, sets, costumes: Péter Gothár

One-act opera

Liszt: Attila Fekete
Liszt, prose role: László Gálffi
Princess Carolyne, Liszt’s fiancée, Caroline Saint-Crique, Marie d'Augoult, Lola Montez: Viktória Mester
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary: Ingrid Kertesi
Hohenlohe, cardinal: Annamária Kovács
Pius IX: Péter Bárány
Cosima von Bülow, Liszt’s daughter: Tünde Frankó
Wagner: András Káldi Kiss
Spiridion, Liszt’s valet: Tivadar Kiss

A joint programme of the Budapest Spring Festival, Thália Theatre and the Opera House.