On April 17, nearly two decades of work came to fruition with the release of the album Semmelweis, a song cycle by composer Raymond J. Lustig and lyricist Matthew Doherty, by the US label Sono Luminus. Back in 2007, with several years of research experience in molecular biology under his belt, Ray Lustig – while pursuing his studies in music – decided to adapt the life of a 19th-century physician for the stage. After numerous revisions, the opera premiered in 2018 at the Bartók Plus Opera Festival and at the Budapest Operetta & Musical Theatre, directed by Martin Boross. The contemporary work premiered in Hungary on the 200th anniversary of Ignác Semmelweis’s birth, thanks to the initiative and active involvement of Dr. László Rosivall, Chairperson of the university’s Semmelweis Memorial Committee.
The newly released work is not a mere recording of the stage production, but rather a studio album comprising a cycle of twenty songs inspired by it. As the composer shared on the label’s website, he had always envisioned singer Charlotte Mundy’s voice for this work. During the creative process, the decision was made to abandon the idea of a female chorus accompanying the soloist. Instead, all the vocal parts were sung by Charlotte Mundy, creating a unified voice that surrounds the listener. The ghosts of the mothers whom Semmelweis was unable to save haunt him time and again in the form of these female voices.
“Engineer and co-producer Maximilien Hein and I, as well as engineer Drew Schlingman, recorded with the musicians in my studio at Respirano on Hudson and at The Hit Factory in New York. The theatrical experience and private listening are very different. We knew we needed to rebuild the music from the ground up, reconsidering every detail, refining and elaborating, revising and revising, to get to the true emotional heart of the story as an auditory experience,” the composer explained.
Accordingly, the album can be interpreted as Ignác Semmelweis’s fever dream. As he nears death, he recalls the most significant events of his life, which are presented in a non-chronological order and are often distorted and filtered through the lens of his mind.
In addition to the traditional vinyl and CD formats, which are available in the United States, the album is accessible worldwide on all major streaming platforms. The song cycle has also been released in Atmos surround format.
To mark the release, the National Arts Club (NAC) in New York will host a presentation and roundtable discussion on May 19, 2026. The composer, co-producer, director of the opera on which the album is based, and other contributors will share their experiences from the decade-spanning creative process and present excerpts from the cycle.
Judit Dőtsch
Photos by Boglárka Zellei – Semmelweis University
