Just as our Strauss150 Festival in late spring and early summer 2014 crowned our 130th season, the Faust225 Festival focuses around the 225th anniversary of the appearance of fragments of Goethe’s Faust, Part I. Five splendid works based on the theme of Faust will be played (including the premier of Gounod’s opera and the Hungarian premiere of Busoni’s work), with the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra giving a concert of rarities to close this gem of a series, more than two weeks long and replete with both Hungarian and foreign artists of international renown. All performances will take place at the Opera House.

Programme of the Faust225 Festival
(for more information and ticket order click on the titles)

Gounod: Faust (new production) – 17, 19, 23, 26, 31 May
Director: Michał Znaniecki
Conductor: Maurizo Benini
Cast includes: Dario Schmunck, Gábor Bretz, Andrea Rost

Busoni: Doktor Faust (Hungarian premiere, semi-staged version) – 22, 24 May
Director: Máté Szabó
Conductor: Gergely Vajda
Cast includes: Csaba Szegedi, Boldizsár László, Lajos Geiger, Éva Bátori

Stravinsky: The Rake's Progress – 16, 20 May
Director: Ferenc Anger
Conductor: Domonkos Héja
Cast includes: Péter Balczó, Tuomas Pursio, Eleanor Lyons, András Palerdi

Weber: Der Freischütz – 27, 29 May
Director: Sándor Zsótér
Conductor: Péter Halász
Cast includes: Beatrix Fodor, Rita Rácz, Krisztán Cser, Zoltán Nyári

Boito: Mefistofele – 28, 30 May
Director: Balázs Kovalik
Conductor: Carlo Montanaro
Cast includes: András Palerdi, Attila Fekete, Gabriella Létay Kiss

Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra Concert (Schumann: Szenen aus Goethes Faust) – 1 June
Conductor: Michael Schønwandt