Whimsical Tempest takes Budapest by storm

By Alexandra Ivanoff, 24 May 2016

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“Ariel is an airborne theremin, a fireball of fioritura and a squeaky Scarbo”

Reviewed at Hungarian State Opera: Auditorium, Budapest on 21 May 2016

Adès, The Tempest (Hungarian première)

Hungarian State Opera

Péter Halász, Conductor

Ludger Engels, Director

Ric Schachtebeck, Set Designer

Sabine Blickenstorfer, Costume Designer

Franco Pomponi, Prospero

Erika Miklósa, Ariel

Istvan Horvath, Caliban

TBC, Miranda, Trinculo

Tamas Tarjányi, Antonio

Péter Balczó, Ferdinand

Attila Fekete, King of Naples

Zsolt Haja, Sebastian

András Palerdi, Gonzalo

Krisztián Cser, Stefano

Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra

All that glitters is not gold in Budapest's new Lohengrin

Orsolya Gyárfás, 16th November

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

**111

A thrilling, opulent La Bayadère at Hungarian National Ballet

Gianmarco Segato, 14th June

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

*****

Visually splendid, dramatically parched La Gioconda in Budapest

Gianmarco Segato, 11th June

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

***11

Stumbling towards the chopping block: Maria Stuarda in Budapest

Orsolya Gyárfás, 14th May

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.

**111

Hungarian National Ballet: a tremendously witty Merry Widow

Deborah Weiss, 12th February

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

****1

A promising class: 6th Éva Marton Competition grand final

Orsolya Gyárfás, 7th September

In its tenth year and going strong, the biennial Éva Marton International Singing Competition fields an even level of talent in an entertaining finale.

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Alexandra Ivanoff

Alexandra Ivanoff is an American journalist who, after singing for five seasons with the San Francisco Opera, lived for eight years in Istanbul, where she began her career as a music journalist with Time Out magazine and Today's Zaman newspaper in that city. After one year in Berlin and now in Budapest, she reviews from various cities and festivals in Europe, as well as Istanbul, New York, and Los Angeles. She has degrees in music from the Eastman School of Music in NY and Yale University Graduate School of Music.