István Vántus (1935-1992) represents a particularly lyrical voice in Hungarian music. He is most well known for his opera Aranykoporsó, but his choral works and those for string orchestra and chamber ensembles receive fewer performances. His untimely death precluded any further development of his theory concerning the “distorted musical domain”. Throughout his life he worked in Szeged as both composer and teacher, and he left an indelible mark on the musical life of the city in a multitude of ways.