The Queen of Sheba a rare Hungarian delight in New York

By Ako Imamura, 04 November 2018

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“Boldizsár László possessed an impeccable technique as Assad”

Reviewed at Lincoln Center: David H Koch Theater, New York City on 2 November 2018

Goldmark, Die Königin von Saba (The Queen of Sheba) (Opera in concert)

Hungarian State Opera

János Kovács, Conductor

Csaba Káel, Director

Éva Szendrényi, Set Designer

Anikó Németh, Costume Designer

Zoltán Kelemen, King Solomon

Erika Gál, Queen of Sheba

Boldizsár László, Assad

Eszter Sümegi, Sulamith

Eszter Zavaros, Astaroth

Róbert Rezsnyák, Baal-Hanan

Péter Fried, High priest

Ferenc Cserhalmi, Guardian of the temple

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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Ako Imamura

Atsuko (Ako) Imamura is a retired investment banker in New York City. Born in Japan, she trained as cultural anthropologist in the US before turning to ﬁnance. She now spends her time attending opera and classical music concerts in New York and in Europe. Wagner is her favorite opera composer.

Goldmark's The Queen of Sheba a rare Hungarian delight in New York