reviews
“This is prophetic,” sings Pat Nixon, the wife of American President Richard Nixon, during their highly publicized visit to China in 1972 — the height of the Cultural Revolution (1966-76). Her dreamy aria, one of the most poignant in John Adams’ 1987 opera “Nixon in China,” is an especially preemptive commentary on the future of mankind. (…) Soprano Klára Kolonits excelled as Pat Nixon, who was her husband’s best friend, loyal wife, and unpaid advisor. In addition to her skilled and beautifully controlled singing, Kolonits injected the compassionate element into her husband’s challenges as he swung between egotistic exaltation and the brink of personal disaster. As President Nixon, baritone Károly Szemerédy made an exuberant and impressive debut in this vocally demanding role of a complex world leader. His opening aria “News, news!” was delivered with a level of gusto and éclat that he was able to maintain throughout the opera.
2024 September 24th, Papageno, Alexandra Ivanoff
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reviews
It is a cliché that behind every successful man is a strong woman. For Szemerédy to be so effective in the role of Nixon, it is also thanks to Klara Kolonits, who was practically by his side the whole time as Pat Nixon. Again, Kolonits surprised me, but one almost expects her to come up with something unexpectedly effective in every role, even if it’s unusual one within her career, which has been constantly evolving. This First Lady is not just there standing next to the President, she is there to help and strengthen the President, who is otherwise in great need of support. The pair of the two shows a rare closeness (although they have not been on stage together much to my recollection), which enhances the stage presence of both. Kolonits also has a solo number in the piece, the City Walk, which she performs with infinite naturalness and believability, despite the disjointed stage, as usual, reaching beyond mere vocal conformity. The greatness of Klára Kolonits as an actress is evident in the exceptionally inspired scene in the closing act, when the two ‘presidential’ couples sit side by side on a sofa and contemplate the world. As the American First Lady, she looks into the camera with such astonishing believability that we, as spectators, cannot take our eyes off her. It is there that we understand the success of the five-day presidential visit, through this all-conquering, suggestive gaze.
2024 September 29th, momus, zéta