December at the Opera means that holiday magic returns to the stage and to the square around the Erkel Theatre. The Christmas market in front of the theatre is open until the last day of the year. Inside, opera and ballet performances, charity programmes, and a special concert awaits audiences.
Internationally acclaimed Hungarian opera singer Ildikó Komlósi celebrates 35 years at the Hungarian State Opera. To mark the occasion, a special anniversary gala is organised at the Erkel Theatre featuring Hungarian soloists and guest star Italian tenor, Marco Berti as well as the artists of FlamenCorazónArte Dance Theatre and Varidance Ensemble. The concert programme includes a scene from Verdi’s Aida and highlights from Bizet’s Carmen.
Created to Maurice Ravel’s Bolero and the music of Steve Reich, Erik Satie and others, the choreographies of the 1st Steps show address facets of life that affect us all in the irresistibly thrilling language of dance of Hans van Manen, Johan Inger, Jiří Kylián and Alexander Ekman.
Many people seem to remember Ildikó Komlósi as having been on the stage from a very early age, from early on in her studies. The fact is, though, that she left plenty of time for years of training at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music and for maturing as an artist, and it was only in 1984 that she signed with the Hungarian State Opera. At the time, the institution was only operating at the Erkel Theatre, because the Opera House on Andrássy Avenue was undergoing renovations and would only reopen some months later, a situation that is similar to today’s. In the 35 years that have passed since then, the mezzo-soprano has made a fantastic career for herself, one that earned her the Kossuth Prize in 2016, although this recognition of her lifetime achievements should by no means be taken to indicate that the end is at hand.
The Opera House in Budapest is currently undergoing extensive restoration and modernisation. Until its reopening in 2021, our performances can be seen at the Erkel Theatre, the second venue of the Hungarian State Opera.
The Opera House in Budapest is currently undergoing extensive restoration and modernisation. Until its reopening in 2021, our performances can be seen at the Erkel Theatre, the second venue of the Hungarian State Opera.
Among the world's foremost interpreters of the most demanding and difficult works in the operatic and symphonic repertoire, Pinchas Steinberg left his native Israel to study in the United States and Germany. It was in Berlin where, in 1974, he made his first appearance as a conductor before a large audience. Since then, he has conducted every major orchestra in Europe, and has also been a regular guest on the podium at Royal Opera House, the Bastille Opera House and the Bayerische Staatsoper, among other prominent European opera houses. He made his debut at Milan's La Scala in 2010 with a series of three concerts, and has also been a frequent guest on American stages, starting with the Cleveland Orchestra. For seven years he served as chief conductor of the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, a city where his 2012 rendition of Giordano's Andrea Chenier enjoyed enormous success. Later, after bringing Wagner's Parsifal to Helsinki and Puccini's classic Madama Butterfly to Rome, he received further invitations to the latter city, as well as to Cincinnati, Sydney, Moscow and Amsterdam. At the Hungarian State Opera, he conducts symphonic performances by the Budapest Philharmonic along with its opera productions.