Szinetár lets the laughs rule in Hungarian Magic Flute

By George Jahn, 12 November 2019

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Reviewed at Erkel Színház (Erkel Theatre), Budapest on 10 November 2019

Mozart, Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)

Hungarian State Opera

Gábor Káli, Conductor

Miklós Szinetár, Director

Rita Velich, Set Designer

Péter Horgas, Costume Designer

Zita Váradi, Pamina

Csaba Sándor, Papageno

Viktória Varga, Queen of the Night

Dániel Pataky, Tamino

András Palerdi, Sarastro

Beatrix Fodor, First Lady

Gabriella Balga, Second Lady

Bernadett Wiedemann, Third Lady

Ágnes Molnár, Papagena

Gergely Ujvári, First Priest

Géza Gábor, Second Priest

Hungarian State Opera Chorus

Hungarian State Opera Orchestra

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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.