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Klára Kolonits's radiant Elsa proves the main attraction in the Hungarian State Opera's visually appealing but conceptually lacking new Lohengrin.

Hungarian National Ballet's La Bayadère revitalizes tradition with a new reconstruction of its forgotten final act. 

Hungarian State Opera's cut-down, dramatically inert Gioconda fails to ignite the stage in Budapest, despite a solid musical foundation. 

Martin Rajna's energetic conducting and Gabriella Balga's glorious Elisabetta are the bright spots in this flashy but empty house premiere of Donizetti's classic.

Hungarian National Ballet strike a delightful balance between lighthearted comedy and technical assurance in Ronald Hynd's The Merry Widow.

Attila Mókus's dramatic baritone was scornful at one moment, tender, distressed, vengeful, or broken in mourning at others, vocal signposts in Rigoletto’s descent into the hell of his own making.

András Almási-Toth production of the original version of Mussorgsky's historical epic underwhelms in Budapest. 

Hungarian State Opera revives their mostly period production of Strauss' Arabella with star turns by sopranos Polina Pasztircsák and Laura Topolánszky.

Andrea Brassói-Jőrös shines in the title role of János Szikora's new staging of Dvořák's fairy tale opera. 

Three iconic Bartók dance scores are newly-interpreted at the Hungarian National Ballet. 

Hungarian National Ballet's Spartacus is not short of drama. Combined with Khachaturian's rousing score and some breathtaking dancing, it's a winner.

Hungarian State Opera presents Idomeneo for the first time in almost 50 years in a musically superb, but controversial pandemic-informed dystopian setting.

Three complete ballets and a sprinkling of divertissements made for a highly enjoyable gala.

Cast and orchestra excel in a sensitive linking of Gluck’s music and drama in Róbert Alföldi's simple, direct production at the Hungarian State Opera.

Balázs Kovalik’s interpretation of Elektra is revived in Budapest, impressing until the B-movie cliché finale. 

This expanded Swan Lake celebrated the return of an exceptional ballerina after a year's lay-off as well as displaying the depth of talent within the company.

Calixto Bieito takes on Prokofiev's Tolstoy epic – and wins in the opera's Hungarian premiere. 

In András Almási-Toth's engaging new production, magnificent orchestral and choral performances let Wagner's music do the talking.

Balázs Kovalik’s opulent staging of Boito's Faustian opera threatens to overshadow the singers, but it makes for an exciting spectacle.

MacMillan's ballet returns to the Hungarian National Ballet in time for the Opera House's grand reopening.

Szilveszter Ókovács' new production matches the opulent venue in all its eye-candy, with dazzling costumes, dark sets large crowds, and rapid scenic changes made possible by a newly installed mechanical stage. 

Zita Szemere is a wonderfully ebullient Marie, but the new production at the Hungarian State Opera merits a mixed report card.

Considered Hungary's national opera, Ferenc Erkel's Bánk bán rarely travels beyond its borders, but is given a rousing performance by the Hungarian State Opera. 

The Hungarian State Opera presents a new modern production of Don Carlo by a director who depicts the historical cruelty as very much present in our world today.

A simple, noble and dramatic escape from the present day as the company dances Michael Messerer’s updated (slightly shortened) version of the Vainonen classic.

A ballet to be enjoyed for its visual spectacle, strong and purposeful choreography and a pacy momentum that builds into a rousing finale.

The Hungarian State Opera's revival of The Magic Flute lacks a little magic. 

This concert, with a running time of about two hours, was a lovely dip in the Rhine without the usual four-to-five hour Wagnerian full immersion.

The acting was patchy and the singing ranged from serviceable to laudable in this dazzling new production at the Budapest Spring Festival.

A new production of Humperdinck's charming opera fails to enchant at the Erkel Theatre. 

Show-stealing bass singing from Krisztián Cser and an immensely powerful Act 2 make a persuasive case for Verdi's neglected predecessor to Rigoletto.

Oliver von Dohnányi leads a great orchestral performance to drive Meyerbeer's grand historical epic, lit up by sparkling coloratura from Klára Kolonits.

With Gergely Kesselyák on double duty as conductor and director, this revival proves musically outstanding but theatrically less than satisfying.

The big heart and generous melodies of Ferenc Erkel's fine opera shine through in difficult circumstances in Atilla Vidnyánszky semi-abstract new staging at the Erkel Theatre.

The Hungarian National Ballet brilliantly closes the season with the world premiere of Marianna Venekei’s version of Tennessee Williams’ classic A Streetcar Named Desire on music by László Dés.

The score of Goldmark's opera is filled with lovely orchestral surprises, in addition to stunning arias, but is often filled with an abundance of slow tempos.

With a guest performance of the Komische Oper Berlin, Barrie Kosky's and Suzanne Andrade's magical production triumphs in Budapest.

A memorable Manon in Budapest 

The third installment of Géza M. Tóth's staging of the Ring, this Siegfried is visually striking, but it's only a strong cast, and above all Egils Silins' Wanderer, that makes it worth attending.

With a convoluted production and uneven cast, Tamás Pál in the pit and Klára Kolonits as Erzsébet Szilágyi prove to be the highlights of the performance of this Erkel classic.

This double cast, nine-day revival of Vadim Milkov's staging of Pique Dame offers a relatively straight reading of Tchaikovsky's opera about the obsessive Pushkin-based character Herman. Embracing the opera's choral and dance passages, spectacle and pageantry are paramount; the drama's surreal and more nuanced dimensions could have been better profiled.

The Hungarian State Opera offered up a belated Hungarian première by one of its native sons, Péter Eötvös – his 2007 opera Love and Other Demons.

A warhorse on its own, Kálmán Nádasdy's 79-year-old production works surprisingly well, providing a nice evening's entertainment with a dedicated cast.

Klára Kolonits's marvellous Lucia is the only thing brightening the bleak performance of the Hungarian State Opera's new Lucia di Lammermoor.

Quality singing impresses in Puccini's opera at the Hungarian State Opera, despite a dusty staging.

Opening the weekend that marked the 60th anniversary of the Hungarian revolution, The Mine (A Bánya), the first of Rautavaara's nine operas, dramatizes events from those turbulent times. 

Polish opera director Michał Znaniecki created a new version of Zoltán Kodály’s 1927 The Spinning Room, a short one-act which is basically a collection of 21 Hungarian folksongs that Kodály had selected from the Székely region.

Although with a promising concept, the Hungarian State Opera’s new production ultimately proved underdirected.

Underwhelming performances, all too tempestuous conducting and an aesthetically pleasing but puzzling production fail to thrill.

Singers delight in a rare concert performance of Bellini's opera.