Press from the Budapest premiere of SEMMELWEIS, September 28, 2018:
Noémi Herczog, Élet és Irodalom, “I wash my hands,” October 19, 2018
“the strength of Semmelweis as a written piece is its music: the choir singing in countless parts and the acoustic sections reminiscent of Philip Glass, opposing these the musical-like arias”
“The current director, György Lőrinczy…calls for [genre-defying works] many times and gives complete freedom to some creators who are thinking of a non-operetta but not pure genre. It is not a criticism if I say that presentations have changed but have not changed their hopes, since it is the essence of experimentation.”
“…we have found that established institutions can constrain the young director who wants to renew it. Boross Martin’s Semmelweis is perhaps the first example of a case where this is the reverse.”
“[articulated] through strong images and without pre-digested clichés turning the fable of hand-washing into a contemporary message”
“tableaus, the gracefully proud movements of Julia Jakubowska. The choir appearing like Fates in a tragedy. ”
“in the feminine reading of the director, we can be made to recall the recent #MeToo movement”
Zsuzsanna Szekáry, Magyar Idők, “Soul-anatomy with Catharses,” September 29, 2018
“Even the next day I find it hard to find the words for this work, described as an ‘oratorical diagnosis,’ as it was such a gripping and unique experience.”
“Beyond the storyline itself, the play transmits impressions, images, and feelings: we look inside the soul of the self-defeating Semmelweis, who burns from his inner turmoil and the desire to act, and crumbles under the weight of guilt, shame, and self-accusation, conveyed onstage with profound empathy by Szilveszter P. Szabó.”
“Similarly, towering was the performance of Veronika Nádasi who authentically brought to life the despair of the wife of a doctor balancing on the edge of insanity.”
“The other protagonists of the production are the Bartók Béla Chamber Choir of Szolnok, who sang with astounding professionalism, often in eight parts, at times ethereal and other times dissonant and unpredictable, suitable to their haunting role, for which the Budapest Operetta Theater Chamber Orchestra provided live music using special instruments.”
“spectacular…the choir, soloists, and contemporary dancers, all representing women who have died of childbed fever, come together to haunt Semmelweis”
“a performance that provoked multiple catharses for me…one of the best theatrical productions of recent years”
“[Music director] Dániel Dinyes , who is also the conductor of the performance, played a great role in the music’s interpretation…he is always a guarantee for emotional, fierce, quality gameplay.”
“the 16-women choir (Bartók Béla Szolnok Chamber Choir), mostly represent the spirits of dead mothers who are constantly tempting Semmelweis. They are present as the audience enters, singing, which sets the appropriate atmosphere, and their introduction is well-conceived.”
“…video in the background, on the stage wall, only adds to the visual world. Just as spirits (Anna Biczók, Júlia Hadi, Julia Jakubowska, Lili Raubinek) who, as Semmelweis’s team of doctors, or as a parent or dying mother, bring a real motion-theater dimension to the stage.”
“in the last third of the story…we can get an insight into their married life. In addition to being the most beautiful part of the opera’s opera… [Veronika] Nádasi once again proved that she is one of the most powerful actors in the Operetta Theater.”
“[Semmelweis’s] despair and struggle are particularly touching, as evidenced by the high number of spectators’ handkerchiefs…”
“truly contemporary direction that is filled with great ideas.”
“well worth seeing as it has so much to offer ”
Andrea Stub, stubandrea.hu“Napló,” September 30, 2018
“The visual world of the performance is almost astute, but still precisely poetic: three pulpits horizontally divided, and above them the actors: mourning women in black, their golden gloves tracing white and bloody stripes flooding the walls – this impressive view is the start.”
“considering that both an autopsy and a birth happen on stage, every action is theatrical and beautifully stylized”
Press from the Miskolc world premiere, June 9, 2018:
Federica Fanizza, Sipario, Italy, “In search of the new opera,” June 17, 2018
“the term ‘operetta’ must not mislead from the seriousness of the musical argument…solid dramatic construct”
David Toschi, operaclick.com, Italy, “Miskolc – Teatro Nazionale: Semmelweis”
“No sentimental story in the romantic style, no concession to mythologies or stories of the supernatural, nothing like a hero story”
“… an opera quite distinct from the genre of operetta or musical, allowing for an effective investigation of the dramatic features of the main character presented by Szilveszter P Szabó, who delivers excellently in both both acting and vocal interpretation…”
“The ‘oratorical diagnostic report’ is transformed into a work of contemporary music with a great many folkloric elements…a score both refined and primigenial, where the dialogical and rich singing of Szabó merges with the conspicuous and precise sound of the Chamber Orchestra of the Budapest Operetta Theater, and of the Bartók Béla Chamber Choir of Szolnok, well directed by the calm Dániel Dinyés”
“…stunning performances that allowed the work to masterfully realize the universal sound world conceived for this work by a particularly inspired Ray Lustig.”
“The success of the show is certainly a good omen as well for the scheduled performances at Budapest Operetta-Theater throughout the summer.”
“ethereal… mysterious… a colorful and rich musical composition”
Zsófia Hózsa, Fidelio, Hungary, “The surreal Semmelweis operated in Miskolc,” June 10, 2018
“unusual, convincing and imaginative work…floating…exciting and powerful”
Additional press from the New York concert showing, September 11, 2017:
- “powerfully resonant… gripping” – New York Music Daily
- “alternately austere and lustrous… otherworldly” – Lucid Culture
