…in “Semmelweis,” New York-based composer Raymond J. Lustig tells his story as a musical “death dream” of sorts, with compelling beauty and eerie prescience.
The Washington Post, “Music for the pandemic: A hand-washing opera, a fanfare for nurses and a socially distant chorus,” Michael Andor Brodeur
April 29, 2020
scintillating, mystical …hauntingly beautiful…Lustig’s choral writing and orchestrations made the most impact…dreamlike…stunning
Seen and Heard International, "An opera for this time and place – Raymond J. Lustig's 'Semmelweis'," Rick Perdian
May 5, 2020
the almost entirely female cast of SEMMELWEIS unleashes soprano voices swirling into the ethereal… standout stagecraft that glues us to the story…a visual poetry dimension…exotic…a seductive spell.”
Picture This Post, “Budapest Operetta Theatre & Bartók Plusz Opera Festival Present SEMMELWEIS – Soprano-studded Fever Dream,” Amy Munice
May 3, 2020
Considering the events that are still unfolding, Lustig’s salute to an unjustly neglected hero has taken on even greater cultural resonance…let’s not forget the lesson that Semmelweis taught us: very often, conventional wisdom gets us in trouble.
New York Music Daily, “A Harrowing Song Cycle Takes on New Relevance in a Time of Crisis,” Delarue
May 3, 2020
a gripping and unique experience…spectacular…a performance that provoked multiple catharses for me…one of the best theatrical productions of recent years
Magyar Idők, “Soul-anatomy with Catharses,” Zsuzsanna Szekáry
October 1, 2018
ethereal… mysterious… a colorful and rich musical composition
Csillagpont Radio, Hungary, “Semmelweis Opera – Oratoric Disease, Hungary’s premiere in Miskolc,” Csaba Németh
June 11, 2018
unusual, convincing and imaginative work…floating…exciting and powerful
Fidelio, Hungary, “The surreal Semmelweis operated in Miskolc,” Zsófia Hózsa
June 10, 2018
…a spectacular project…a non-typical opera…outside of musical genre here in a particularly compelling way, given the question of opera vs. operetta of the Operetta Theater, and that the female chorus and soloists give the overture and the main themes.
Papageno, “Clean hands," Gulyás Gábor
January 13, 2019
the strength of Semmelweis as a written piece is its music…in the feminine reading of the director, we can be made to recall the recent #MeToo movement
Noémi Herczog, Élet és Irodalom, "I wash my hands"
October 19, 2019