The opera titled Mendacious romance (original Hungarian title: Hazug románc) was written in 2001 for Magda Györi’s Hungarian language libretto based on Norbert Nemeth’s idea. In 2002 the libretto was translated into Italian by Dóra Várnai with the title Romanza mendace, and later on the English translation was made by Linda Domján.

 

By the summer of 2003 a promotion film was made, which gives a cross-section of the opera and introduces the author. Parts of the opera are performed with a piano accompaniment. The film has a Hungarian, an English and an Italian speaking version. A cross-section performance of the opera was given on August 29, 2003 at Ercsi Eötvös Days with the participation of a symphonic orchestra and opera singers. The CD containing selections from this concert and the piece Commemoratio is published in the 2004 (© Convention Budapest Ltd., Ars et Sanitas, 2004).

 

On April 17, 2009 a grand concert of Norbert Nemeth’s music was performed at the Forbidden City Concert Hall, one of the mostly frequented concert halls of Beijing, China. In the first half of the concert selections from the opera Mendacious romance were performed by American, Austrian, Swedish and Chinese singers (sung in Italian) with the Xinya Kongqi Symphonic Orchestra (current name: Peking Sinfonietta) conducted by Professor Nicholas M. Smith (UK). The concert was sponsored by Gerald M. Clarke (Ireland).

 

In 2013 the opera Mendacious romance (its Italian version) was selected as one of the finalist works of the ”Key to the Future” International Opera Composer Competition announced by the Bartok Plus Operafestival in Miskolc, Hungary. The opera had been honored by the greatest audience success, and won shared first prize on 23 June, 2013.

Also in 2013 the opera was given the BMO Mainstage Award in the International Composer Competition announced by the Boston Metro Opera (BMO) company.

 

The music of Mendacious Romance faithfully reflects the 'ars poetica' of the author, which says that music can only achieve its purpose if it reaches the audience through touching their thoughts as well as their hearts and souls. Mendacious romance is modern music but it is also a treasury of harmonies and melodies which are intertwined with fascinating acoustic combinations and with the vigour and overflow of the musical form. Any time or place can serve as a background for the plot and the message of the opera as the emotions and problems outlined and the comic and tragic situations arising from them are both global and timeless.

 

As a tribute to the opera of the XIX century, the composer undertakes to answer the question to what extents the verismo style of the great classical predecessors (Mascagni, Leoncavallo, Giordano, Cilea, Puccini) can be followed in the 21st century? Can the melodious music scene be enriched during the composition of today’s attitude of life? How much can the story historical, but especially musical appearance of feelings and emotions’ dramatic, sometimes tragic or comic displays keep the tradition in an era of cold-hearted human relationships and melody-free contemporary musical styles?

The plot of Mendacious Romance, where the emotional atmosphere of the drama leans towards tragedy, defines the opera genre in way in which it undertakes the tradition of melodies and dramaturge, and with its unique tone brings musical and dramatic catharsis to the audience, and also gives a gift with the feeling of classical opera literature.