Bátori Mária, Ferenc Erkel's first opera, was first performed on 8 August 1840 at the Hungarian Theatre of Pest, which after the premiere was renamed the National Theatre. The libretto for the two-act opera, based on András Dugonics's stage play of the same title, was credited to Béni Egressy. Although the premiere was quite successful, Erkel continued to work on his piece over the ensuing years. Bátori Mária, set in 12th century Hungary during the reign of King Kálmán the Learned was performed quite a few times – more than 30 – during the composer's own lifetime. After 1860, however, the work would have to wait 140 years before being revived in a production by the company of the Hungarian Opera of Kolozsvár (Cluj-Napoca).
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