Gripping Budapest revival of Iphigenie holds true to Gluck's aims

Natália Tuznik (Iphigenie)

Iphigenie auf Tauris

Károly Szemerédy (Thoas) and Natália Tuznik (Iphigenie)

By George Jahn, 08 May 2023

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“Natália Tuznik endowed the title role with vocal and dramatic emotional impact”

Reviewed at Hungarian State Opera: Auditorium, Budapest on 6 May 2023

Gluck, Iphigénie en Tauride

Hungarian State Opera

Levente Török, Conductor

Róbert Alföldi, Director

Robert Menczel, Set Designer

Fruzsina Nagy, Costume Designer

Hungarian State Opera Orchestra

Natália Tuznik, Iphigénie

Zsolt Haja, Oreste

Zoltán Megyesi, Pylade

Károly Szemerédy, Thoas, King of Scythia

Gabriella Rea Fenyvesi, Diane

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.