Magyar Hírek, 1986 (39. évfolyam, 1-26. szám)
1986-01-29 / 2. szám
International career for two young singers An artist’s life is always exciting when he is on the make and the eighties presented just that to László Polgár and Dénes Gulyás. Both of them were winners of the international Pavarotti Competition for singers in Philadelphia in 1981. That was the first time the competition was held. Some five hundred young singers entered from Thailand to Italy, from South America to Scandinavia. Fifteen of them finished as winners judged by a panel, the members of which included Marguerit Everit, director of the Philadelphia Opera House, Antonio Tonini, the principal répétiteur of La Scala of Milan, and of course Luciano Pavarotti in person. Since then both of them are listed by international concert agencies, invited time and again by great opera houses. They are good friends, gladdened by each other’s successes of one-another. In the Magic Flute one of them sings Sarastro, the other Tamino. * László Polgár is the baritone. A Don Giovanni in appearance but a Leporello in voice. And what a Leporello! An ironical and playful one with velvety tones. He also admits a liking for the part. But when he sings the jestful Register aria everybody listens with bated breath. He has obviously inherited his musical talent. Anna Pauk, the singing teacher, is his aunt, and György Pauk, the noted violinist is also a close relative. He grew up in a musical atmosphere. He sang as a scholarship holder in the Budapest Opera House in the 1978/79 season, before he became a member of the company in 1979. Polgár began his stage career seven years ago, yet he is already a mature artist, who just called home between two performances in Paris. They like him at the Paris Opera House, where he worked with James Levin, the conductor, and Jean Pierre Ponnelle, the director, as Sarastro in the Magic Flute. This time he sang the role of Timur in Turandot. “At the Pavarotti competition” he says “Dénes Gulyás and I both won first prize, which immediately earned us appearances at the Philadelphia Opera House and television. Today, however, I feel that what matters most is that I now get invitations to all parts of the world not just as a Pavarotti prize winner, but as László Polgár. My favourite roles are Bartók’s Bluebeard, Gumemanz in Wagner’s Parsifal, and King Phillip in Verdi’s Don Carlos.” It is difficult to enumerate the events and venues mapped out for Polgár up to 1989. Doráti will conduct “Bluebeard’s Castle” with him in the title role in Florence, then he will go to Munich, Paris, Brussels, Philadelphia and Montreal, after which he will begin a three-year contract with the Staatsoper of Vienna next year. And in the midst of all these he will also continue singing for the Budapest Opera House. Dénes Gulyás, the tenor, also completed his studies and joined the Budapest Opera House as a scholarship holder in 1978, to become a member of the company the following year. Gulyás says that he was an ordinary child who liked disco music as a teenager, and wanted to see the world as a long distance van driver. Well, world travel came true rather soon, even if not in the cab of a juggernaut. A performance of Verdi’s Requiem in 1980 in Montevideo became doubtful because Bergonzi had suddenly taken ill. The management of the Montevideo Opera House invited the then 25 year old Dénes Gulyás to come to the rescue. They invited him again the next year, by then not as a substitute. Since winning the Pavarotti prize Dénes Gulyás has been singing abroad about six months every year, and the rest of the year in the Budapest Opera House delighting opera-goers with his finely polished, easilyflowing tenor. Nemorino in Donizetti’s Elixir of love is his favourite role, perhaps because he had the opportunity to sing with Giuseppe Tappi at Florence. “The reason why I felt that important was neither prestige, nor vanity” he explains hastily, “but because I learnt more from him during rehearsals and in a single performance, then from others in years. There was an odd radiance in his character, he taught me without giving professional advice.” And he adds after a short pause: “I felt the same way about Ferencsik. Even when he did not utter a word, only waved and looked at me I knew what he wanted.” He thinks a little more and then adds: “I worked with such splendid people as Antal Doráti, Claudio Abbado, Igor Markevich, and it has been worthwhile to be a singer just for that.” MAGDA SOrtS FERIHEGY No. 2. the new airport of Budapest Those using Budapest airport in recent years could tell pretty easily that the city had outgrown the old Ferihegy airport. The passenger terminal, for instance, was built back in 1950. The planners could hardly expect at the time that about 35,000 aircraft would land and start from there annually carrying as many as 2.2 million passengers. Undoubtedly, a number of important modernizations were already carried out during the past decade principally to ensure the safety of the ever-growing air traffic. A new runway was constructed where any kind of passenger aircraft currently in service could land and take off. The reconstruction of the old runway is under way, and when that will be completed in two years time aircraft will be able to use two up-to-date systems. The new control tower complete with the latest equipment is also operative, and a huge service hangar was built capable of accommodating even the largest of passenger aircraft. But travellers could hardly feel these changes. In spite of all the patching the old terminal satisfy the requirements of the present. In order to radically cope with the situation, which was the cause of much discomfort, construction of a new terminal began in 1983. The first unit of the passenger terminal has been handed over to the Hungarian Air Line Company. Two similar terminal buildings are planned to be built by the year 2000 to accommodate the other air lines, which will, until then, remain in the old building. The general contract of the project was let by international tender to an Austrian — West German consortium, ARGE, which let the construction work to the Austrian PORR firm and the GDR building enterprise HOCHTIEF. * Arrivals and departures are managed at different levels. Arriving passengers of MALÉV aircraft parked in close position can walk directly into the reception hall of the lower level using a passenger bridge. The information centre, an office where entry visas are issued, and a duty-free shop, are situated in the hall. Passing through passport control passengers walk into the luggage room, then after customs control into the foyer lined with the usual counters where they can call a taxi, rent a car, exchange money, and buy flowers. The layout made the handling of departures easier too, with twenty check-in counters and sixteen passport checking corridors. A restaurant, a coffee shop, a snack bar, several shops, shower rooms, a play room for children and even a room where babies’ nappies can be changed make waiting comfortable on the departure level. Facilities for handicapped people, such as a special lift and separate toilets are also available. The opening of Ferihegy No. 2. has considerably improved the standard of air travel m Hungary. When the other two terminals will begin operation, passengers arriving in Budapest on any air line will have the same experience. (Pokorny) 30
