Bluebeard’s Castle

October 2022

Composer: Béla Bartók
Librettist: Béla Balázs
English Adaptation: Daisy Evans
Premiere: May 24, 1918, Royal Hungarian Opera House, Budapest, Hungary

Bartok’s riveting one-act opera is given new life in this production from England’s Theatre of Sound. In a departure from the original folktale, a husband and wife deal with the implications of dementia. Instead of doors masking Bluebeard’s true soul, the audience encounters Judith’s fraught relationship with her memories and its effect on her husband.

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Media

Program

Cast + Creative

Cast

Duke Bluebeard
1960s Judith
1980s Judith
1990s Judith

Creative

Stage Director
Scenic & Costume Designer
Lighting Designer
Assistant Director

Creators

Béla Bartók

Composer

Béla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as Hungary’s greatest composers (Gillies 2001). Through his collection and analytical study of folk music, he was one of the founders of comparative musicology, which later became ethnomusicology.

Full Bio

Plan Your Visit

Bailey Performance Center at Kennesaw State University

The Dr. Bobbie Bailey & Family Performance Center is the primary performance venue for the Kennesaw State University School of Music and is among the many fine facilities of the College of the Arts at KSU. Located within the Bailey Performance Center are several world-class spaces: Morgan Concert Hall, Katherine Scott Rehearsal Hall, the Mortin Art Gallery, and the neighboring Zuckerman Museum of Art. Each year, the Bailey Performance Center hosts over 100 performances and other public events in addition to rehearsals, seminars, recording sessions, and masterclasses year-round.