Hunyadi László: “Czardas” – All Classical Research

Erkel’s opera Hunyadi László premiered in 1844 and quickly became popular in Hungary. Liszt and others tried to promote the opera, but it was little heard outside Hungary, apart from orchestral excerpts.¹
Story: set in 15^th C. Hungary, the opera follows the historical struggle between László Hunyadi, a Hungarian military hero, and the Habsburg King of Hungary, who plots against László because he is a potential rival for power.²
The Csárdás [pronunciation] is a Hungarian dance consisting of a slow, dignified opening 4/4 section followed by a fast 2/4 section. The Csárdás first appeared around 1835 and it is a descendant of an older Hungarian dance, the verbunkos.³

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