The first round of the competition, which also involves the participation of Hungary's Armel Production Office, Szeged Open-Air Performances, the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra and Magyar Televízió, took place in the city of Szeged in southeast Hungary on January 28-30.
Almost 80 singers arrived from 17 countries to sing at Szeged's newly opened Reök Palace arts centre. The were competing to perform in special productions planned by the Opera de Rennes (France), the Bremen Theater (Germany), the Balti Opera (Poland), the Dicapo Opera Theatre (US) and the Szeged National Theatre (Hungary).
The first round comprised an Introduction, in which the singers performed a piece of their own choosing. This was followed by a Personal Workshop and an Extra Workshop.
The deciding factor in the contest was the suitability of the competitors' character for the roles, said the contest's host the well known Hungarian actor and director Róbert Alföldi.
The winners were announced by Szeged Mayor László Botka and MEZZO director Philip de la Croix.
Armel Production Office head Ágnes Havas noted that de la Croix had earlier had doubts as to whether the "Hungarians could pull it off", but he also took into consideration the fact that about one million Hungarians subscribe to MEZZO. After many months of talks, the deal to bring the contest to Szeged - as well as to broadcast several hours of programming on Hungarian musical life along with an hour-long special on the contest itself - was sealed.
The final round of the contest will take place in September, also in Szeged, and the winners will perform in all five productions during a two-week festival at the Szeged Theatre in November.
Author: Éva Ibos / Photos: György Németh (MTI)
