Hungarian State Opera goes full The Last of Us with new Idomeneo

Zsuzsanna Ádám (Elettra) and ensemble

Szabolcs Brickner (Idomeneo)

Gabriella Balga (Idamante) and Emőke Baráth (Ilia)

Zsuzsanna Ádám (Elettra)

By Gianmarco Segato, 02 June 2023

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“a musically sensitive and dramatically nuanced rendition of the score”

Reviewed at Hungarian State Opera: Auditorium, Budapest on 1 June 2023

Mozart, Idomeneo, re di Creta

Hungarian State Opera

Balázs Kocsár, Conductor

András Almási-Toth, Director

Sebastian Hannak, Set Designer

Richárd Marton, Costume Designer

Tamás Pillinger, Lighting Designer

Hungarian State Opera Orchestra

Hungarian State Opera Chorus

Szabolcs Brickner, Idomeneo

Gabriella Balga, Idamante

Emőke Baráth, Ilia

Zsuzsanna Ádám, Elettra

Laura Topolánszky, Elettra

Ninh Đức Hoàng Long, Arbace

Barna Bartos, High Priest

István Rácz, The Oracle of Neptune

Noemi Kulcsár, Choreography

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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Gianmarco Segato

Arts writer, administrator and singer Gianmarco Segato is Assistant Editor for La Scena Musicale. He was Associate Artist Manager for opera at Dean Artists Management and, from 2017-2022, Editorial Director of Opera Canada magazine. Previous to that he was Adult Programs Manager with the Canadian Opera Company. Gianmarco is an intrepid classical music traveler with a special love of Prague and Budapest as well as an avid cyclist and cook.