New Rusalka staging hits most of the right notes in Budapest

Andrea Brassói-Jőrös (Rusalka) and Zoltán Nyári (Prince)

Károly Szemerédy (Vodník) and Andrea Brassói-Jőrös (Rusalka)

Andrea Brassói-Jőrös (Rusalka) and Erika Gál (Ježibaba)

Rusalka

By George Jahn, 06 February 2024

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“Éva Szendrényi's set designs support the singers instead of detracting from their artistry”

Reviewed at Hungarian State Opera: Auditorium, Budapest on 4 February 2024

Dvořák, Rusalka

Hungarian State Opera

Péter Halász, Conductor

János Szikora, Director

Éva Szendrényi, Set Designer

Kati Zoób, Costume Designer

Hungarian State Opera Orchestra

Hungarian State Opera Chorus

Andrea Brassói-Jőrös, Rusalka

Zoltán Nyári, Prince

Károly Szemerédy, Vodník, the water goblin

Erika Gál, Ježibaba, the Witch

Szilvia Rálik, Foreign Princess

Máté Fülep, Gamekeeper

Laura Topolánszky, Kitchen Boy

Attila Erdős, The Hunter

Zsuzsanna Kapi, First Wood Sprite

Melinda Heiter, Second Wood Sprite

Lúcia Megyesi Schwartz, Third Wood Sprite

Gábor Csiki, Choirmaster / chorus director

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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.

New Rusalka staging hits most of the right notes at Hungarian State Opera