John the Valiant I. Premiere: January 16, 2009

Pongrác Kacsóh (1873 - 1923) was born in Budapest and studied flute and piano at the conservatory. In 1898, he took a position as a math and physics professor in Budapest, where he published articles in natural science. Later, his interest returned to music theory and composition. His musical Sleeping Beauty captured the attention of a famous librettist at the time, Károly Bakonyi, who borught the young man to the attention of Jenő Huszka. Bakonyi commissioned Pongrác Kacsóh to set John the Valiant to music. What they discovered only after the premiere was how well John the Valiant filled a niche; it satisfied the Hungarian public's long-neglected demand for a morale-boosting theatrical spectacle. John the Valiant has enjoyed uninterrupted popularity ever since its premiere at the Király Theatre on the evening of November 18, 1904.