100Singers's video: 100 Singers - L SZL POLG R

László Polgár, Bass (1947-2010) Mozart: DON GIOVANNI Leporello, Act I: "Madamina, il catalogo è questo" - Don Giovanni, Act II: "Deh, vieni alla finestra, o mio tesoro" Conducted by János Kovács / Recorded 1997 My personal opinion: During the hype about the "Three Tenors" in the 1990s, the Hungarian basses József Gregor (1940-2006), László Polgár (1947-2010) and Kolos Kováts (*1948) gave a joint concert in Budapest under the baton of János Kovács. In good humor, they sang together music by Mozart, Rossini and Verdi - and turned many an aria into a tercet. In this way, the differences between the three voices became clearly evident: Gregor was the playful, almost bufforesque singer, while Kováts with his deep black tone embodied nearly the opposite. The most interesting interpreter of them, however, was Polgár, whose lush and flexible voice combined the virtues of the other two. So it was only a logical consequence that in the common sung finale of DON GIOVANNI, Kováts was the ghostly Commendatore, Gregor the frightened Leporello and Polgár the defiant but somehow sympathetic title character. His voice was a puissant instrument: Powerful and mellow at once. When he sang, it was as if his silky sound wrapped around the listener's shoulders like a mink ... A remarkable feature of László Polgár's low voice was its variability: It was solid, constant and yet agile; robust, hard and yet warm. Many bass voices are rigid as embedded in cement. Polgár's deeply resonant sepulchral voice has been described by critics as supple and rich in dark shadings. A prime example is his Mozart recital for the Hungaroton label, recorded 1997. Polgár sings arias from DIE ENTFÜHRUNG AUS DEM SERAIL, LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, DON GIOVANNI, LA CLEMENZA DI TITO and DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE. With different voice colors and timbral expression, he changes the roles and switches fom Leporello to Masetto and to Don Giovanni. In four extracts from DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE, he even transforms himself from Papageno to Sarastro. Osmin's "Solche hergelauf'ne Laffen" and "O wie will ich triumphieren", Figaro's "Non più andrai", Leporello's "Madamina", Masetto's "Ho capito, Signor" and Giovanni's Canzonetta as well as Papageno's entrance song "Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja" become lessons of scenic expression in singing. László Polgár was the vocal chameleon among the last decades basses ... Polgár studied voice at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest from 1967 to 1972. He received further vocal instruction from Hans Hotter and Yevgeny Nesterenko. He began his operatic career in 1972 at the Hungarian State Opera in Budapest as Count Ceprano in Verdi's RIGOLETTO, proceeding with minor and comprimario roles until the mid-1970s. In 1982 he sang Leporello, one year later Gurnemanz in PARSIFAL. Already in 1978 he made his first guest apperance abroad as Osmin at the Hamburg State Opera. His America debut took place in 1982 at the Philadelphia Opera House, but just like József Gregor and Kolos Kováts he never had the opportunity to sing at the Met. An often cited success as Conte Rodolfo in Vincenzo Bellini's LA SONNAMBULA in London the database of the Royal Opera House could not confirm (actually the role was sung by Robert Lloyd). Other important stages in his career were the Salzburg Festival (1985) and engagements at the Vienna State Opera, where Polgár sang a total of 43 performances between 1986 and 1991, mainly in operas by Mozart. From 1991 to 2009 he was a permanent ensemble member at the Zurich Opera House, where he continued as a guest singer even after his official retirement. During that period, Polgár was unrivaled as the obscure Duke in Béla Bartók's only opera BLUEBEARD'S CASTLE, a role he recorded twice: In 1993 under Pierre Boulez alongside the miscast Jessye Norman and in 2002 next to the idiomatic singing Hungarian Ildikó Komlósi under Iván Fischer. In this context, a TV recording of a concert performance with Eva Marton under the direction of Michel Plasson from 1995 is recommended. In addition to the vocal performance, Polgár is also convincing as a charismatic personality, underlining every emotion of the mysterious Bluebeard with the expression of his watchful eyes (which gave him uncanny resemblance to actor Christopher "Dracula" Lee). It's beyond me, why László Polgár did not have a more significant career. Perhaps his affiliation with the Opera House in Zurich was enough for him and he did not want to travel further. He died there in 2010 at the age of only 63. His recordings are documents of an exceptionally attractive bass voice in pristine condition that stood up to any international comparison. László Polgár: A singer that should definitely be rediscovered ...