The Nutcracker, Hungarian Christmas, and The Magic Flute for Children – youth and charity performances in the festive programme of the OPERA

“There is no Christmas without The Nutcracker," so goes the saying at the Opera House, and indeed, over the past 75 years there has hardly been a Christmas when Tchaikovsky’s fairy-tale ballet did not enchant families. Since the 2015 premiere of Wayne Eagling and Tamás Solymosi’s choreography, the popular holiday production has reached an entirely new level of admiration. Contributing to this, beyond the devoted work of the dancers, ballet masters, and students of Hungary’s only classical ballet company, are Nóra Rományi’s colourful costumes and Beáta Vavrinecz’s sets, based on Gusztáv Oláh’s designs, featuring hidden references to Budapest. The highly successful production is true teamwork: the OPERA Orchestra and Children’s Chorus, as well as the technical staff, all take part, making every visually stunning performance the result of the coordinated efforts of nearly 300 people. Thanks to this, the series launched in 2015 will celebrate its 300th performance on 30 December, while the 1,250th Nutcracker performance in the OPERA's history will take place on 4 January 2026.

This season, ten ballerinas will perform the role of Princess Maria, including the company’s principals Maria Beck, Tatyjana Melnyik, and Maria Yakovleva, as well as soloists Lili Felméry, Lee Soobin, Wakabayashi Yuki, and Claudia García Carriera, grand sujet Elena Sharipova, demi-soloist Erina Yoshie, and coryphée Ganna Muromtseva. Among the nine Nutcracker Princes are principals Gergő Ármin Balázsi and Louis Scrivener, first soloists András Rónai, Boris Zhurilov, and Motomi Kiyota, as well as demi-soloist Viachaslau Hnedchyk and coryphée Luca Massara. In addition to him, two other coryphées will debut in the role this year: Nathaniel Lillington, who joined the company last year from the Sibiu Ballet Theatre after graduating from the HARID Conservatory in Florida, and Auguste Marmus, who arrived from the Bavarian State Ballet following studies at the Royal Swedish Ballet School and the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St Petersburg. In what is certainly the country’s most large-scale The Nutcracker production, each performance features nearly 70 members of the Hungarian National Ballet, more than 40 students from the Hungarian National Ballet Institute, 70 musicians from the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra, and 20 members of the Children’s Chorus. This season, The Nutcracker will be conducted by Péter Dobszay, Paul Marsovszky, and Sámuel Csaba Tóth, with Marcell Dénes-Worowski and Dárius Teremi making their conducting debuts in the production.

More than 100 children supported by the Regőczi Foundation, which aids orphans of the Covid-19 pandemic, will attend the evening dress rehearsal on 28 November, while at the matinée on 21 December the International Children’s Safety Service will bring 1,000 disadvantaged children from all parts of the country and beyond the borders. For the Children’s Safety Service and its supporter, MBH Bank, this performance is one of the dearest Christmas gifts, as Tchaikovsky’s fairy-tale ballet is an essential part of the festive preparations. With this performance, the two organisations strive each year to make Christmas more beautiful, richer, and a true experience for the children.

The OPERA is also joining MTVA’s 'It Is Good to Be Good' charity campaign again this season, which this year supports the ‘Kegyes – Charity Foundation for Helping the “Forgotten” Children of Transcarpathia’, aiding sick, orphaned, and displaced children living in war-torn Transcarpathia. In keeping with tradition, the Opera House is donating the Nutcracker doll used in last season’s performances, which will be auctioned during the festive broadcast on 21 December.

In addition to The Nutcracker, the OPERA offers further family and children’s programmes during Advent and the holiday season. As part of the MVM Piccolo Programme, the production Hungarian Christmas, based on Jenő Ádám’s work of the same name and presenting folk songs and traditions associated with Christmas Eve, complemented by related compositions by Miklós Kocsár, is performed five times between 5 and 19 December. With the participation of nearly 90 members of the Children’s Chorus of the Hungarian State Opera, the performance features popular Christmas songs. The main roles are performed again by members of the Children’s Chorus alongside soloists András Palerdi (Grandfather), Csaba Szegedi (The Farmer), and Anna Csenge Fürjes (The Farmer’s Wife). The Children’s Chorus and the 30-member Orchestra of the Hungarian State Opera are conducted by chorus director Nikolett Hajzer.

While the The Magic Flute is on at the Opera House, from 14 to 28 December five performances of The Magic Flute for Children, a version of Mozart’s singspiel created especially for young audiences, is also be presented. Told in a circus setting with acrobats and aerial artists, in an adaptation by János Lackfi, the production stars Gergely Ujvári (Tamino), Laura Topolánszky (Pamina), Attila Dobák (Papageno), Judit Lőrinc (Queen of the Night), and Dávid Dani (Sarastro). In the MVM Piccolo Programme, the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra and Chorus are conducted by Dárius Teremi, with aerial artists from the Vincze Tünde Production and acrobats of New Step Fitness also taking part. Hungarian Christmas and The Magic Flute for Children are both directed by Attila Toronykőy.

To enhance the festive atmosphere, a 2.5-metre Nutcracker figure and a 3.5-metre Christmas tree, decorated with more than 200 ornaments provided by the OPERA's strategic partner, the Herend Porcelain Manufactory, will be on display in the foyer. Outside the Opera House, a ten-metre Christmas tree will also stand from 28 November, traditionally decorated by the scenic department, as well as outdoor advertising columns crafted by the set workshops featuring the characters of the fairy-tale ballet.

Photo by Valter Berecz