Sensational Hungarian double bill at Müpa

By David Smythe, 11 February 2018

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“a captivating dramatic and physical performance”

Reviewed at Müpa: Béla Bartók National Concert Hall, Budapest on 10 February 2018

Eötvös, Senza sangue (Without Blood)

Bartók, Duke Bluebeard's Castle

Peter Eötvös, Conductor

Csaba Káel, Director

Éva Szendrényi, Set Designer

Anikó Németh, Costume Designer

Andrea Szántó, Judith

Krisztián Cser, Bluebeard

Viktória Vizin, La Donna

Jordan Shanahan, L'Uomo

Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra

Lóránt Demeter, Video

The Queen of Sheba a rare Hungarian delight in New York

Ako Imamura, 2nd November

The Hungarian State Opera's first New York tour featured an opera of forbidden love set in the Biblical Times by Karl Goldmark, and was a rare treat for the New York audience.

***11

Hungarian State Opera's slow-motion The Queen of Sheba

Alexandra Ivanoff, 18th May

The score of Goldmark's opera is filled with lovely orchestral surprises, in addition to stunning arias, but is often filled with an abundance of slow tempos.

***11

Bartók double bill at Müpa Budapest

Julien Hanck, 7th October

Hungarian critic Sandor Hevesy once declared that Bluebeard’s Castle was “far too dark”. Yet, Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle and Miraculous Mandarin are probably the summation of his orchestral journey. And what better experience then making it to Budapest, to hear it in its birthplace?

*****

Asmik Grigorian strengthens the Met’s revival of Eugene Onegin

Susan Stempleski, 20th April

The Lithuanian soprano’s riveting performance as the central character in Tchaikovsky’s operatic masterpiece lights up Deborah Warner’s mostly bland production.

****1

At half mast: Simon Boccanegra revived in Vienna

Orsolya Gyárfás, 19th April

Marco Armiliato's conducting thrills and Federica Lombardi's radiant Amelia stands out in the Wiener Staatsoper's latest revival of Simon Boccanegra.

***11

Anna Netrebko shines in Vienna’s timeless Tosca

Laura Servidei, 18th April

In a world where opera productions often stray into the abstract, the Wiener Staatsoper’s Tosca offers a refreshing return to tradition – and Anna Netrebko delivers a splendid performance.

****1

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David Smythe

David the farmer was drawn into music through choirs, orchestras, taking part in and directing 'serious' opera as a student. Passionate about live classical music, particularly chamber opera, unusual pieces and events and giving the next generation the tools to engage with the classical world.

Senza sangue the ideal partner to Bluebeard’s Castle in sensational Hungarian double bill