This week the Hungarian State Opera is set start its tour in New York with a number of Hungarian works. The works include “Bluebeard’s Castle,” “The Queen of Sheba,” and the U.S premiere of “Mario and the Magician.” It will also include the U.S. premiere of what Hungarians consider the national operatic masterpiece “Bánk Bán.”

And for the U.S. Premiere, the company is bringing the leading interpreter of the work Levente Molnar.

The baritone, who is no stranger to New York audiences, having previously made his Met debut in “La Bohème,” will return for the first time since 2015 and will have the honor of opening the tour with Ferenc Erkel’s work. Molnar first performed the work in 2017 and received rave reviews with critics stating he “sings magnificently as the noble Bánk.”

In a recent interview, Molnar noted the “Bánk Bán” was similar to many of the great Verdi operas and that even though he was a native Hungarian, the challenges of the language were unique and difficult.

One of the leading Hungarian singers in the world, Molnar has performed at all the major opera houses including the Bayerische Staatsoper, Royal Opera House, and Zurich Opera. He returns to the Hungarian State Opera annually and is set to return to the Metropolitan Opera in 2019.

Recordings

For those not familiar with Molnar’s voice, he is on a recording of “Francesca da Rimini” for CPO.

And here he is in the title role of Bank Ban from a recent OperaVision transmission at the Hungarian State Opera.