Szőllősy Csila et al. (szerk.): Alba Regia. Annales Musei Stephani Regis - Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei. C. sorozat 46. (Székesfehérvár, 2018)
Zenetörténet. Kultúra és zene: városok, templomok és kastélyok zenéje Magyarországon. A székesfehérvári Városházán és a fehérvárcsurgói Károlyi-kastélyban 2016. szeptember 22 - 23án megrendezett tudományos konferencia tanulmányai - Mona Dániel: Kozmopolitából nacionalista: Zichy Géza operaszerzői stílusváltásának okai és következményei
Mona Dániel'. Kozmopolitából nacionalista: Zichy Géza operaszerzői stílusváltásának okai és következményei Dániel Mona From a cosmopolitan to a nationalist: The reasons and consequences of the change in styles by opera composer Géza Zichy To analyse the opera catalogue of Géza Zichy it is essential to examine the Hungarian opera scene around the turn of the century and take the political situation of the time into consideration. Reviewing these, it becomes clear that Zichy planned his opera oeuvre totally consciously: he was always cautions and he sensitively reacted to the trends occurring in opera performances and opera composition. Although he received more and more favourable reviews as a cosmopolitan, he still chose the Hungarian national opera style in the initial years of the 20th century. The examined reviews demonstrate a lot of things. On the one hand, they prove that from the beginning the audience included certain groups that regarded Zichy as a dilettante aristocrat or an ingenious poet-composer. On the other hand, almost all the reviews agreed that Zichy’s operas were more interesting for their music (especially the orchestration) than their lyrics. They also agreed that while Zichy’s cosmopolitan operas showed clear development, the quality of his national trilogy gradually decreased. It can be seen in the periodicals how the number of articles enthusiastic about the topic and its realisation fell throughout the years. The overview of the repertoire and premieres of the Opera House preceding World War I revealed that Zichy, who was an influential person due to his former position as the intendant of the institute and also from a social aspect, was the most frequently played opera author of his time. However, this data soon becomes irrelevant if we pair it with the criticisms, the articles talking about the performances with half or quarter full theatres and the revenue reports. The reason why his operas were still staged so many times was only partially his own personal influence. Timing was another significant factor: Zichy’s two most successful operas, Master Roland and Nemo, could thank their success exceeding that of the other Zichy operas to the author’s adaptation to the actual trends. 121
