The Tormented Miracle
Anikó Rohonyi was born on 16 November 1942 into a family with a strong love of music. Her mother was a descendant of the Vécsey family, one of the thirteen Arad martyrs. As a child, she sang in a church choir, and between 1962 and 1970 she worked as a technical draughtsperson. On the advice of the church choirmaster, she applied to the Bartók Béla Secondary School of Music, where from 1966 she pursued voice studies as a pupil of Ilonka Farkas. The beginnings of Anikó Rohonyi’s career read almost like a fairy tale, which she later recalled as follows:
“One day I sang at the wedding of a close relative. A music teacher noticed me there and immediately urged me to have my voice trained. I took the advice and applied to the Bartók Béla Secondary School of Music, although at that time I still had no clear idea where my path would lead. Perhaps I did not even dare to formulate to myself that I wanted to become an opera singer. My way of life also reflected this, since I continued to work at Olajterv and completed the music school in evening classes.”[1]
In 1970, Anikó Rohonyi was admitted by Miklós Lukács – Head of the Vocal Department of the Liszt Academy and Director of the Opera House – to the opera department of the Academy, and moreover directly into the fourth grade. Recognised as an exceptional talent, she completed the opera singer training programme in just two years. She later recalled this period at the start of her career as the moment when she “found her life vocation”.[2] Rohonyi was already thirty years old by the time her career truly began. While a late start is often considered a disadvantage, the opera singer explicitly articulated it as an advantage in her induction speech.[3]
Her first major role was in Ferenc Erkel’s Hunyadi László (László Hunyadi), in which she was cast as Erzsébet Szilágyi. In András Mikó’s production of Verdi’s Don Carlos, she delivered, according to critics, an outstanding performance. The singer herself referred to the work as a talismanic opera, having previously achieved significant success with it at an international singing competition.[4] Rohonyi’s performances are characterised by carefully considered role interpretation. Preparation involves not only observing great predecessors but also developing an independent reading of the role.
“I watched every performance and followed with excitement how this role took shape when sung by Stefánia Moldován, Gabriella Déry or Mária Sudlik. Each of their interpretations was a major lesson for me, because they demonstrated that a role must be filled in order to offer a true opportunity for artistic unfolding, rather than remaining merely one role among many. I believe that an artist must recognise this potential in every role.”[5]
Following Don Carlos, Rohonyi was entrusted with major roles at the Opera House, which she likewise approached as “opportunities for unfolding”, discovering in each their individuality and their potential for meaningful stage presence. Critics acknowledged her portrayals as Elisabeth in Don Carlos, Donna Anna in Don Juan, Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana, Elsa in Lohengrin, and Maddalena in André Chénier.[6]
In 1979, she performed the title role in Puccini’s Tosca at the Erkel Theatre. Rohonyi perceived the difficulty of the role in the complexity of Tosca’s character, emphasising the multifaceted nature of the female figure and approaching the task with a degree of anxiety.
“In this conception, Tosca is not a diva, but a woman in love who is willing to sacrifice everything for her love – who, in spite of her religiosity, is capable of killing in the name of love… I can only repeat: it is an enormous task, one that can only be spoken of with anxiety – with an anxiety awaiting release.”[7] This anxiety is partly rooted in her acknowledged stage fright, a tension that only dissolves once she steps onto the stage.[8]
In 1980, Anikó Rohonyi took on another title role, Verdi’s Aida, under the direction of András Mikó. Singing this dramatic soprano role marked the fulfilment of a long-held dream in her career. In 1981, András Békés staged Verdi’s La forza del destino, in which Rohonyi sang the role of Leonora. She approached the character through its tormented, self-accusing traits, recognising parallels between her own psychological disposition and that of the role. In shaping the character, she considered lyrical expression more important than overdramatic force. In the final scene, Leonora’s spiritual elevation carries the performer along with cathartic power, filling her with a sense of purification.[9]
Rohonyi accepted the title role in Puccini’s Turandot with great enthusiasm,[10] and in 1986 she portrayed Amelia in Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera. Critics praised not only her interpretation but also her vocal qualities in exceptionally high terms. Reviews highlighted the harmony between acting and operatic voice, noting that through these two expressive systems she was simultaneously able to convey Amelia’s vulnerability and restraint.[11] In 1987, she again appeared in a Verdi work, singing the role of Abigaille in Nabucco.
The year 1990 brought her not only the role of Venus in Tannhäuser but also a series of awards: her career was honoured with the Liszt Ferenc Prize and the Bartók–Pásztory Prize.
In 1991, she sang the title role in Ponchielli’s La Gioconda at the Erkel Színház (Erkel Theatre). Although she regarded this role as even more demanding than Abigaille in Nabucco, she successfully mastered the role, which requires an exceptional level of technical preparation.[12]
In 2002, marking the thirtieth anniversary of her career, Rohonyi gave a concert performance of Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana at the Pesti Vigadó. She donated the proceeds of the evening to charitable causes, supporting the education of visually impaired and multiply disabled children. In an interview prepared for the jubilee, she reflected on her career in the following terms:
“I simply love singing, being on stage from seven to ten – for me it is a gift, because that is where I can fulfil myself; everything else that comes with it is nothing but a burden.”[13] Later that same year, she retired from the stage.
Over the course of her professional life, she performed alongside several internationally renowned artists at the Hungarian State Opera, including Theo Adam, Nicolai Gedda, Aragal, Nesterenko and Obraztsova.
Her love of music has continued into her active retirement: since 2003 she has hosted a radio interview programme entitled Az opera világa (lit. The World of Opera) on Magyar Katolikus Rádió (Hungarian Catholic Radio).
[2017]
[1] Harangozó: “Az Olajtervtől az operaszínpadig.” (lit. From Olajterv to the Opera Stage.) Esti Hírlap, 22 January 1974.
[2] “In 1970 I was admitted to the opera department of the Liszt Academy and immediately into the fourth year. At that time, I believe, it would have been hard to find another person as happy as I was. Yet this fact merely meant further work. I undertook this fine task willingly and with joy, because I felt – and perhaps today this no longer sounds conceited – that I had found my life vocation.” Ibid.
[3] “Singers are often given certain roles at an early stage; in my own case, having started my career later was, from this perspective, certainly an advantage.”
Anikó Rohonyi: “Elindultam a sok csoda felé” (lit. I Set Out towards Many Wonders). Delivered on 28 November 2014 at her academic induction speech.
[4] “I am pleased to make my debut in the female leading role of Don Carlos, as this opera has also become something of a talisman for my, so far, relatively short career. At the end-of-year examination of my first year in the opera department, I was assigned the role of Elisabeth, and I sang the female leading role of this opera at the Sofia International Singing Competition, where I placed fifth.”
Harangozó: “Az Olajtervtől az operaszínpadig.” (lit. From Olajterv to the Opera Stage.) Esti Hírlap, 22 January 1974.
[5] Ibid.
[6] “The memorable, delicately contoured portrait of Elisabeth (Don Carlos); the revenge-driven portrayal of Donna Anna (Don Juan); the deeply sensitive womanhood of Santuzza (Cavalleria rusticana); the virginal purity of Elsa (Lohengrin); and the richly nuanced human and emotional poise of Maddalena (André Chénier).”
Györgyi Mátai: “Tosca: Anikó Rohonyi.” Pesti Műsor, 2 May 1979.
[7] Ibid.
[8] “I do not conceal that I still suffer from stage fright. Before every performance, I feel that I will not be able to sing my role. Then the curtain rises, and from that moment on something begins to work within me – this is the most beautiful profession in the world.”
Györgyi Mátai: “Címoldalunkon: Rohonyi Anikó” (lit. On Our Cover: Anikó Rohonyi).” Pesti Műsor, 11–18 February 1981.
[9] “As so often in Verdi’s music, the clash of passions dominates here as well. The fatal love of Leonora and Alvaro sets in motion a chain of coincidences. Leonora does not fight against fate. Her passivity, however, is only apparent. She blames herself for everything and seeks to atone for her sins. I feel a certain kinship with Leonora; I too am of a tormented disposition and always blame myself for everything. It is a beautiful task, in which it is not so much the dramatic tone that matters, but rather the lyrical mode of expression. Especially in the final scene, the role carries me away: Leonora’s spiritual elevation fills me with a sense of purification.” Ibid.
[10] “It was exactly ten years ago that I set out on my career, and I believe that the crown of that decade was Turandot (…) I prepared with great excitement to interpret Puccini’s masterpiece. This extraordinary role is a great trial for me as well, and yet I can consider myself happy and fortunate that we found one another.”
“A díváktól a heroinákig. Rohonyi Anikó portréja.” (lit. From Divas to Heroines. A Portrait of Anikó Rohonyi.) Dolgozók Lapja, 15 December 1984.
[11] “Anikó Rohonyi’s Amelia is harmonious both musically and in her acting. Her fortes are powerful yet sufficiently refined, her pianos penetrating and effective. Her entire performance is characterised by a distinctive restraint, arising from Amelia’s vulnerable and vividly portrayed situations.”
Györgyi Mátai: “A felújított Álarcosbál” (lit. The Revived Un ballo in maschera.) Népszava, 24 February 1986.
[12] “When I sang Abigaille in Nabucco, I thought I could not be given a more difficult task. I was mistaken. La Gioconda is more difficult! This dramatic soprano role requires a range of nearly two and a half octaves, lacking only three notes, and within this it reaches almost mezzo depths.”
Morvay: “Abigaile után Gioconda. Olaszul szól Ponchielli.” (lit. After Abigaille, Gioconda. Ponchielli in Italian.) Esti Hírlap, 24 October 1991.
[13] Gyöngyi Kálmán: “Adni, adni, s újra csak adni.” (lit. To Give, to Give, and to Give Again.” Magyar Nemzet, 1 June 2002.