Elektra in Budapest: all goes well... until the last minute

Szilvia Rálik (Elektra) and Atala Schöck (Klytaemnestra)

Adrienn Miksch (Chrysothemis) and Szilvia Rálik (Elektra)

Szilvia Rálik (Elektra) and Gábor Bretz (Orest)

Szilvia Rálik (Elektra) and Istvan Horvath (Aegisth)

By George Jahn, 01 May 2023

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“Kovalik’s interpretation is creative in places and bold in others”

Reviewed at Hungarian State Opera: Auditorium, Budapest on 29 April 2023

Strauss R., Elektra

Hungarian State Opera

Balázs Kocsár, Conductor

Balázs Kovalik, Director

Csaba Antal, Set Designer

Mari Benedek, Costume Designer

Hungarian State Opera Orchestra

Hungarian State Opera Chorus

Szilvia Rálik, Elektra

Atala Schöck, Klytaemnestra

Tímea Tímár, Klytaemnestra

Adrienn Miksch, Chrysothemis

Gábor Bretz, Orest

Antal Cseh, Orest, Orest's Tutor

Istvan Horvath, Aegisth

Dániel Pataky, Aegisth

Zsófia Nagy, Trainbearer

Diána Ivett Kiss, Maid 1

Zsófia Kálnay, Maid 2

Melinda Heiter, Maid 3

Beatrix Fodor, Maid 4

Eszter Zavaros, Maid 5

Mária Farkasréti, Overseer

Lusine Sahakyan, Confidante

Gergely Biri, Young Servant

Máté Fülep, Old Servant

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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George Jahn

George Jahn is the former Vienna bureau chief of The Associated Press. During his 35-year career at the global news organization, he covered wars, politics... and opera, reviewing productions at the Vienna State Opera, the Salzburg Festival, Bayreuth Festival and other houses in Austria and Germany. He has also written for Opera Now and International Piano magazines in London. Those he has interviewed include Matthias Goerne, Vesselina Kasarova, Thomas Hampson and Mariss Jansons. George holds or shares awards for his reporting on U.N. affairs and for his coverage of the Bosnian war. A Canadian/Hungarian citizen, he splits his time between residences in Vienna and Budapest.

Elektra at Hungarian State Opera: all goes well... until the last minute