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.
András Déri graduated as an organist from Budapest's Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music in 1980 and went on to earn his diploma in conducting in 1985. Between 1985 and 1991, he was a member of the Hungarian State Opera, first conducting there in 1986 in Pongrác Kacsóh's singspiel John the Valiant. Following this, he conducted a number of large-scale operas (Verdi: Nabucco,Rigoletto;Donizetti: Anna Bolena;Britten: Albert Herring;Erkel: Hunyadi László;Vajda: Mario and the Magician;Rossini: La Cenerentola, Il barbiere di Siviglia). He received scholarships to study in Vienna in 1985 and in England in 1993, and in 1994 received an Artisjus Award for his activities on behalf of contemporary music. He often conducts open-air performances and at festivals, and occasionally also gives organ concerts. He has made guest appearances in numerous countries, having conducted the Riga Ballet's The Nutcracker in Germany and also making a successful appearance at Como's Autunno Musicale together with Michele Campanella. He has made guest appearances in The Hague with the Hungarian National Ballet, the Hungarian State Opera's ballet company, and in Ljubljana with the Wiener Staatsoper's ballet company. Since 1997 he has again been a member of the Hungarian State Opera, marking his return by conducting Rossini's opera La Cenerentola. Since 2002, he has regularly been conducting ballets (The Nutcracker, La fille mal gardée, Giselle, Coppélia, The Taming of the Shrew, Onegin, The Sleeping Beauty, The Fountain of Bakchisarai, Mayerling, Scheherazade, Swan Lake, Anna Karanina, Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs, Balanchine Night). Between 2005 and 2010 he served as guest conductor for the Wiener Staatsoper's ballet company. As a guest conductor at the Hungarian State Opera since 2013, he has conducted its most popular ballet productions. In 2014, on Hungary's National Day, he was presented the Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary.