Ferenc Erkel, the composer, wrote the Hungarian national anthem, which is also used as a sacred church song.
Ferenc Erkel's opera King Stephen was planned as early as 1846 but became his last completed opera, finished in 1884.
King Stephen (István) was Hungary's first Christian ruler, crowned in the year 1000, and is remembered as the founder of the Hungarian state.
Ákos Somogyváry, the chorus-master for the King Stephen Opera Chorus, is the great-great-great-grandson of the composer Ferenc Erkel.
This recording of King Stephen aims to restore the opera to its original form, reversing 125 years of alterations and cuts.
Ferenc Erkel (1810-1893), the composer of this opera, was a chess player and considered one of the best in Hungary.
King Stephen had a hugely successful premiere on March 14, 1885, and was performed twelve more times that year, a record for a Hungarian opera.
