Glinka's Ruslan and Lyudmila Overture, Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 are included in the season-opening OPERA186 concert at the Hungarian State Opera on 24 September 2023. The concert tying in with the Slavic Season features pianist Ádám Balogh, the OPERA Orchestra is conducted by Pinchas Steiberg.
The five ballet performances of Swan Lake were enthusiastically received by eight thousand, and the two opera performances of Madama Butterfly by a further two thousand paying spectators – often accompanied by a standing ovation – between 8 and 13 September 2023, in the season opening series of the Dubai Opera. Among the warmly received productions, Puccini's opera will also be heard in a concert version at the Budapest Opera House on 23 and 26 September.
At the invitation of the Dubai Opera, the Hungarian State Opera will perform as a guest in the United Arab Emirates between 8 and 13 September 2023, with the productions of Swan Lake and Madama Butterfly. The seven-performance tour, involving a total of 244 artists and employees, is the largest presentation of the institution's decade-long presence in the Middle East so far, and at the same time the second largest-ever guest performance of Hungarian performing arts after the OPERA's 2018 performance in New York. The 12-day Dubai project with a total cost of half a billion HUF is entirely covered by the invitant.
The Latvian star soprano compiled the programme for her aria recital on 17 September 2023 at the Hungarian State Opera from the most beautiful pieces of Italian opera, including popular works by Puccini, Verdi, Catalani, Cilea, and Ponchielli. The singer's partner on the piano will be her compatriot Agnese Egliņa.
For six months beginning with 21 July 2023, Hunyadi László, one of Ferenc Erkel's most popular operas is available on OperaVision, a project is supported European Union’s Creative Europe programme. The production directed by Szilveszter Ókovács stars internationally renowned Szabolcs Brickner, Klára Kolonits, Dániel Pataky, Erika Miklósa and Gábor Bretz.
At the closing ceremony of the 2022/23 season of the Hungarian State Opera, recently reappointed general director Szilveszter Ókovács presented the prestigious Chamber Singer and Étoile awards, and announced 27-year-old Martin Rajna, one of the most outstanding young conductors emerging from Hungary as principal conductor.
On 24 June 2023, the Hungarian National Ballet organises a birthday gala in honour of one of the greatest Hungarian ballerinas, Kossuth and Liszt Prize recipient Ildikó Pongor, eternal member and master artist of the Hungarian State Opera. The gala features the OPERA Orchestra conducted by Thomas Herzog.
Gustav Mahler's monumental Symphony No. 8 is performed by the ensembles and soloists of the Hungarian State Opera joined by artists of Veszprém and the Bakony–Balation Region at the Veszprém Factory'ard CulturePark on 7 July 2023. The special production is a major classical music event of the Veszprém–Balaton 2023 European Capital of Culture project.
On 18 June 2023, the Hungarian State Opera celebrates the greatest Hungarian soprano of the 20th century on the occasion of her birthday with performances by her former and current students, as well as the winners of the Éva Marton International Singing Competition. Special guest star of the evening is one of today's most exciting rising tenors, Jonathan Tetelman. The Hungarian State Opera Orchestra is conducted by general music director Balázs Kocsár, the gala is directed by artistic director András Almási-Tóth.
Every year without fail, the Hungarian National Ballet proves that its capabilities know no bounds: it manages to entrance audiences with everything from grand ballets requiring spectacular classical technique to contemporary dance pieces interspersed with acrobatic elements. The latest addition to their wide repertoire is The Pygmalion Effect by Boris Eifman from 10 June 2023 at the Budapest Opera House.
A solar plant, a unique innovation in the cultural sector, has been established at the Eiffel Art Studios of the Hungarian State Opera. The small power plant with a capacity of 320 kW, built on an area of 12 000 square metres, was created with the support of the Ministry of Energy. The ceremony was attended by Attila Steiner, the Ministry's Secretary of State responsible for energy and climate policy.
Jacopo Tissi and Alejandro Virelles join dancers of the Hungarian National Ballet on 27 May 2023 at the 7th Iván Nagy International Ballet Gala at the Hungarian State Opera. The prestigious event organized in memory of the world-famous Hungarian ballet dancer, ballet director, dance teacher, and former artistic consultant of the OPERA, will also include the presentation of the Solymosi Award to the most dedicated artist of The Nutcracker series, which ran for more than 30 performances this season. The gala features students of the Hungarian National Ballet Institute and the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra conducted by László Kovács.