The works to be performed at this concert share two features: on the one hand, they explore the compositional possibilities offered by the human voice; on the other, they examine questions of the relationship between humankind and the spirit world. The music of the Mass-oratorio – characterized by the exceptionally rich and colourful sound of the male choir – was inspired by the life of János Esterházy; the Latin movements of the Catholic Mass are separated by Hungarian-language interludes, for which the composer and his collaborator, Boglárka Cziglényi, used excerpts from the prison letters, prayers and diaries of János Esterházy and his sister, Mária. The Birds of Pompeii is a lyrical composition with a delicate sound, in which the themes of passing and remembrance take centre stage. Moving between different time periods and personas, the soloist journeys from her former self – who once lived – through acceptance of passing, to the voice of a bird taking flight after being purified in a dust bath. Finally, we are also introduced to two scenes from Faragó’s forthcoming new opera, Hamlet: first, in the duet between the Ghost and Hamlet, we witness how the young man’s subtle senses are gradually attuned to the presence of his invisible, inaudible father; then, the duet between Ophelia and Hamlet, based on Boglárka Cziglényi’s libretto, presents the deep and passionate relationship that appears only indirectly in the original play.

The subject of Béla Faragó’s doctoral thesis – which he recently presented at the BMC Library in a four-part lecture series – is the early years of the Cologne Radio (WDR) Electronic Studio: using computerised sound analysis, sonograms and transcriptions, he analysed every published composition from the Studio’s first year. Through the encounter of creative intentions, processes, formal principles, and the technical possibilities of the time, the author demonstrates how the desire to achieve total mastery over sound gave rise to a whole series of masterpieces.

Béla Faragó has been a lecturer in classical composition at the Jazz Department of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music since 1990. From 1995 to 2007, he was a founding member and musical director of the Bárka Theatre in Budapest; between 2011 and 2018, he worked as musical director at the Gergely Csiky Theatre in Kaposvár. Since 1977, he has been active as a soloist and in various ensembles (Kis Zenei Stúdió, 180-as Csoport), performing and composing. He has collaborated with leading figures in contemporary music such as Louis Andriessen, Steve Reich, Terry Riley and Meredith Monk. He has released five albums of his own compositions. Seven of his operas have been staged, including a work based on Franz Kafka’s short story The Metamorphosis. His works have received numerous awards, including the Grand Prize for Music at the 7th Naples Video Ballet Festival.