reviews
The duo of Károly Szemerédy and Klára Kolonits – both of whom were amazing in their roles – was so smooth that it crossed my mind that I would like to see them together onstage more often. In their scene together, we see a mature couple, who sometimes retreat from their responsibilities into the memories of their youth, but when they need to, they are able to return to the present with sober rationality. Klára Kolonits is also known for her traditionally beautiful coloratura and bravura technique, but anyone who has watched/listened to one or two interviews with her or seen one of her solo Lieder recitals knows that she is a more spiritually complex, adventurous and open musical personality. The role of Pat Nixon therefore fitted perfectly into her world. I’d never heard a coloratura soprano sing Beethoven songs with both a thunderstorm gaze and an iceberg-melting tone, so I was delighted to find her in this role. For, on the one hand, she has the most beautiful aria in the piece, and on the other, she brought a complex character to life. Nixon also goes to the meeting as an idealist (or apparently an idealist, it doesn’t become clear), but Mrs. Nixon clearly is one, and to the end. A civilised, cultured lady of high emotional intelligence, she seizes every opportunity to find common ground with foreign cultures to which she can relate, while remaining within the role of American First Lady. So she naturally wanders into the realms of education and culture, which are close to her; she can mask her desperation in her first big scene, but not in the theatre: she interferes in the fictional performance, her strong cultural roots emerging from her as they do from the Chinese Madame Mao when she sings about “The Book”. In fact, Pat Nixon is the character through whose presence the viewer can gain insight into what the opera is trying to convey. To understand each other’s differences, we must not first analyse the different, but look within ourselves for the sure points through which we can understand the otherness of the other, and this requires a well-developed empathy and self-awareness. Pat Nixon’s intervention in a dark and naturalistic horror performance is a symbol of the instinct born of our innate reflexes, which can overcome even the most open-mindedness when confronted with a phenomenon that does not fit into our moral system. In reality, such a thing could hardly have happened, but here it is perfectly illustrated what preparation and iron discipline are required to bring two different worlds together.
2024 October 10th, momus.hu, Müller Dávid
videó
képek
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.hu, zéta
“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.
2024 September 24th, Papageno, Alexandra Ivanoff
This time, Klára Kolonits, as Pat Nixon, did not have to show off her disarming vocal technique, but her sensitive human portrayal skills – both vocally and as an actor. That she does so to an outstanding standard is further proof that she is not only “the nation’s nightingale”, but also one of the nation’s most profound artist.
2024 October 20th, revizor.hu, Bóka Gábor
As Pat Nixon, Klára Kolonits revealed a new side of her art: after the romantic operas of the 19th century, she put her skills to good use in this modern piece: she sang beautiful melodies, richly nuanced in her solo, and her performance was not without charming sweetness. The First Lady’s solo scene during a walk through the city was the most eye-catching one of the evening, while her acting skills were put to good use in the Chinese opera scene in Act III and in the closing scene. The scenes performed with Károlly Szemerédy, were a testimony to the great harmony between the two.
2024 October 23., Kortárs Online, Péter Zoltán
The six main characters of the play, Klára Kolonits, Károly Szemerédy, István Kovács, Rita Rácz, Zoltán Nyári and Azat Malik, give excellent vocal performances. All of them propose memorable interpretations, Kolonits, for example, delivers the American flavoured “blonde” in a superb way.
2024 October 16., kultura.hu, Albert Mária
But what definitely makes the Opera House’s productions a success is the excellent casting: it is not always the case that singers are not only given roles that suit them, but also get to show a new side of themselves vocally and as actors. Klára Kolonits’ lyric soprano, brings out the empathetic side of First Lady Pat Nixon, her demanding solo (This is prophetic) being one of the most memorable scenes. The tension between the two first ladies, the contrast between the two roles, was made chilling by the singers.
2024 October 9th, Magyar Narancs, Csabai Máté