MNB ISSUES BICENTENNIAL COMMEMORATIVE COIN IN HONOUR OF BÉNI EGRESSY
Budapest, 22 April 2014 – On 22 April 2014, the Magyar Nemzeti Bank issued a silver and a cupronickel collector coin to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of composer, librettist and playwright Béni Egressy. The obverse of the coin bears some notes of the melody written to Mihály Vörösmarty’s poem Szózat, which propelled Egressy to national fame. The reverse of the coin bears the composer’s bust and signature. A man of many talents, Egressy translated plays and librettos, composed landmark Hungarian art songs and was himself the librettist of three of Ferenc Erkel’s most significant operas featuring historical characters Mária Bátori, László Hunyadi and Bánk bán. Known as the father of Hungarian national opera, Erkel praised Egressy to writer Géza Gárdonyi at a virtuoso pianist’s concert in his late years: “This is exactly how Egressy used to play, all trills and thrills. One must wonder where he found so many melodies.” The collector coin was designed by sculptor László Szlávics Jr
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Budapest, 22 April 2014 – On 22 April 2014, the Magyar Nemzeti Bank issued a silver and a cupronickel collector coin to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of composer, librettist and playwright Béni Egressy. The obverse of the coin bears some notes of the melody written to Mihály Vörösmarty’s poem Szózat, which propelled Egressy to national fame. The reverse of the coin bears the composer’s bust and signature. A man of many talents, Egressy translated plays and librettos, composed landmark Hungarian art songs and was himself the librettist of three of Ferenc Erkel’s most significant operas featuring historical characters Mária Bátori, László Hunyadi and Bánk bán. Known as the father of Hungarian national opera, Erkel praised Egressy to writer Géza Gárdonyi at a virtuoso pianist’s concert in his late years: “This is exactly how Egressy used to play, all trills and thrills. One must wonder where he found so many melodies.” The collector coin was designed by sculptor László Szlávics Jr