Hungarian State Opera's glossy Turandot

By Jenny Camilleri, 01 February 2016

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Reviewed at Erkel Színház (Erkel Theatre), Budapest on 30 January 2016

Puccini, Turandot

Hungarian State Opera

János Kovács, Conductor

Balázs Kovalik, Director

Éva Szendrényi, Set Designer

Márta Jánoskuti, Costume Designer

Jee Hye Han, Turandot

Atilla Kiss B, Calaf

Zita Váradi, Liù

István Rácz, Timur

István Róka, Emperor Altoum

Lajos Geiger, Ping

László Beöthy-Kiss, Pang

Tivadar Kiss, Pong

Tamás Busa, Mandarin

Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra

Hungarian State Opera Chorus

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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Jenny Camilleri

After completing her postgraduate studies in psychology at the University of Toronto, Jenny moved to Amsterdam, where she enjoys singing in amateur choirs. She loves all genres of classical vocal music, especially nineteenth and early twentieth century Italian and German opera and art songs.

In the best tradition: Hungarian State Opera's glossy Turandot