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Erzsébet

The Opera About Elizabeth Báthory

Dennis Báthory-Kitsz

2011 Premieres in Vermont (US) took place in...

  • Hyde Park Opera House, Hyde Park, October 28
  • Haybarn Theatre at Goddard College, Plainfield, October 29
  • Main Street Landing Black Box Theatre, Burlington, October 30

First Review (Jim Lowe in the Times-Argus)

The Erzsébet Tower Marketplace is Open!

DVDs, CDs, scores, libretti, posters & more!

Order here!

Now on YouTube!

(No subtitles. Get the DVD or download the libretto.)

Overture and Prologue
Act I
Act II
Act III (part 1)
Act III (part 2)
Epilogue

Báthory Erzsébet Poster

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Poster! Large PDF · Large JPG · Medium JPG · Emailable JPG

Download the score, libretto, program book and other items

Lisa Jablow Dennis Bathory-Kitsz Ann Harvey Anne Decker
Lisa Jablow
Erzsébet
Dennis Báthory-Kitsz
Composer
Ann Harvey
Director
Anne Decker
Conductor
Pavel Kraus

Erzsébet:
The People

Mark O'Maley
Pavel Kraus
Designer
  Mark O'Maley
Lighting
Meg Hammon VCME Steven Klimowski
Meg Hammond
Costumer
Vermont Contemporary
Music Ensemble
Steven Klimowski
VCME Director

Fundraising continues for Erzsébet to make up the premiere run's budget deficit. The opera/monodrama on the life and death of Countess Erzsébet Báthory took place in Vermont on Halloween weekend 2011, starring Lisa Jablow and the Vermont Contemporary Music Ensemble conducted by Anne Decker. The production was directed by Ann Harvey with stage design by Pavel Kraus, with costuming by Meg Hammond and Katy Knuth, lighting by Mark O'Maley and DVD videography by Jim Eaton. For more details as they become available, jump down this page to the regular announcements.

There are two ways to back the opera:

  • Use PayPal (preferred)
  • Send a check

Backers have helped us make the goal of $12,000 from 2010. We still need $4,600 more (which, with other assistance and ticket sales, will meet the total budget of $25,000) to cover remaining production costs for mounting the opera three times in 2011 -- and there are rewards for backing of any amount!

For those in the US, half of your backing amount is earmarked for the tax-exempt VCME. Documentation will be provided if requested for tax purposes.

PayPal

Pre-set for:
opera@bathory.org

Check

Dennis Bathory-Kitsz
176 Cox Brook Road
Northfield VT 05663 US

 100% ($12000.01)
 48% ($2160.00) of $4,600 additional expenses

143 backers as of November 12, 2011: Anonymous, Dan Albertson, Shirley Albright, Robert Willis Allen, Karen Amrhein, Elizabeth R. Austin, Paul Bailey, Renée Baker, Gary Barwin, Megan Beecher, Eve Beglarian, Joseph Benzola, Vincent Bergeron, Michael Billingsley, Judy P. Boehlert, James Bohn, Robert Bonotto, Caitlin Bright, Marco Brivio, Trevor Bryant, Canary Burton, Lydia Busler-Blais, Lucianne Cardassi, Liz Carrington, Justin Casey, Michael Caulfield, Alison & Neil Cerutti, Jef Chippewa, Carson Cooman, Kim Craft, Noah Creshevsky, Allan Cronin, Elizabeth Dean, Christopher DeLaurenti, Carl Dershem, Pam DeSimone, Mark Dickinson, Dean Dierschow, Willie Docto, Emily Doolittle, David Drexler, Rachael Elliott, Marc Estrin, Devena Fifield, François Floc'h, Joanne Foreman, Cricket Fox, Richard B. Fredette, James S. Grant, David Gunn, Jonah Haggett, Greg Hall, Tom Hamilton, Evan Hause, Jan Herder, Sean Hickey, Jim Hickle, Lisa Hirsch, Bob Hobbs, Nancy Holzner, Zona Hostetler, D'Anne Hotchkiss & Brad W. Smith, Susan Hoyt, Lisa Jablow, Don Jamison, Brian A. Johnson, Jennifer Jolley, Tomás Kalmar, Kalvos & Damian, Sam Kerson and Katah, Steven Klimowski, Beverly H. Klotz, Steve Layton, Jakob Lehmann, Beth Levin, Bruce & Linda Linthicum, Lisa Lucius (Nashua NH), Janet MacLeod, Peggy Madden, George Magill, Nicholas Maggio, Nick Maggio III, Les Marsden, Charles Mayhood, Malcolm McAfee, Ann McCutchan, John P. Mello Jr., Marisa Merewood, Ariane Michel, David Morneau, Lies Muller, Paul H. Muller, Walter P. Murphy (in memory of Gene Morel), Lynne S. Myers, Erik Nielsen, Margaret Noble, Northfield Savings Bank, James Parks, James Jeffrey Paul, Josh Perschbacher, Troy Peters, Niels Petersen, Mary Ellen Petti, William P. Pfaff, Irene Racz, Francis Riesz, Epiphany Roa, Dione Rose, Dean & Karin Rosenthal, Eric J. Roth, Eleonor Sandresky, David P. Sartor, Kay & Max Schlueter, Emily Elizabeth Searles, Dave Seidel, Alex Shapiro, James V. Signorile, Aggie Birdsong Smee, Rich & Boo Smith, David Smooke, Laurie Spiegel, Thomas Steenland, Richard F. Suitor, Taylan Susam, Margaret Swinchoski, Bruce A. Talmadge, Fern Tavalin, Sam Thurston, Orestis Tringides, Doug & Nancy Tschorn, Jeremy Van Buskirk, Caroline Van Howe, Cole Verhoeven, Samuel Vriezen, Jason Walters, Andrea Warnke, Lisa Whistlecroft, Von Wichert, Jari Williamsson, Charles Wilson & the Vermont Alliance of Independent Country Stores, Kurt Wiscombe, Wammes Witkop, Erling Wold.


The ensenble
Vermont Contemporary Music Ensemble: Alison, Bonnie, Daniel, Brian, Liz, Berta, Larry, Steve
  • Back the opera with $25 or more: A pre-release copy of "O: Eleven Songs for Chorus SATB" with my music and text and illustrations by Gary Barwin. and download of the premiere performance recording. Only 10 copies available.
  • Back the opera with $30 or more: The Infamous level includes a published libretto to Erzsébet, with the text and photos, and autographed by the composer or a copy of Kim Craft's authoritative new biography "Infamous Lady" or my own "Country Stores of Vermont" and download of the premiere performance recording.
  • Back the opera with $50 or more: Published musical score of Erzsébet, autographed by the composer. This pledge also includes download of the premiere performance recording. Unlimited copies available.
  • Back the opera with $100 or more: Black T-shirt with red-and-white image of the Bathory seal on one side, and "Erzsébet: The Opera" on the other, plus an autographed CD recording of the premiere. Specify size S/M/L/XL/XXL.
  • Back the opera with $500 or more: This benefactor level is a complete bundle of all the other rewards PLUS a dedication in the new edition of the published score itself.
  • Back the opera with $1500 or more (limited to 1 set): At this pledge level you get the two xylophones made by Fred Carlson for David Gunn, one chromatic and the other using 10 tones per octave instead of 12. What? Yes, they were designed for a piece called "Bad Vibes" -- and it's time for them to go! David says, "three octaves each and lovingly handcrafted with Genuine Wood. The lowest note of the two chromos is an E, making them Phrygian in character." There are just two! Plus the t-shirt, score, etc.
  • Back the opera with $3000 or more (limited to 1): Katherine Anne Porter's "French Song Book" limited edition, signed, given to me by Barbara Harrison of Harrison of Paris. Plus the t-shirt, score, etc. Not the xylophones, though.
  • Back the opera with $5000 or more (limited to 2): There were fewer than 100 Ionic Performer Synthesizers made in the early 1970s. David Gunn and I have one each. We were going to put them on eBay, but instead we are offering them as rewards for a large pledge to "Erzsébet: The Blood Countess Opera". You'll of course get all the other rewards as part of the package, but these are so rare you may never see another one. Here's a link to my Performer Ionic page. Oh, and plus the t-shirt, score, etc., but not the xylophones or the Porter book.

This Site is About the Opera Erzsébet

This site is about the opera Erzsébet. Although I have learned as much as possible about the Countess, I am not a reliable source of historical information. No one has first-hand information, and all of mine, save of the direct experiences at Castle Cséjthe, are third-hand at best.

I am not writing a history. I am simply retelling what I know from the perspective of what I require as a composer to tell this story. This site was never meant to be more than a repository of my thoughts & ideas over the past 15 years -- but since it became popular, people seem to give it more credibility than it deserves!

The frequently asked questions have been updated to reflect some of the comments I have received. Please be certain to read the FAQ and the Past Announcements before emailing me!

I am happy to share information about the Countess, and have created an extensive bibliography and webography to assist visitors. I am also delighted to receive information and corrections and will incorporate them, with credit, into these pages.

And please listen to my music!

Thank you!

Announcements:

For more information (after you read the FAQ): contact me.

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