FOUR operas, more than four reasons to go. The operas: Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, Péter Eötvös’s The Balcony, Wagner’s Parsifal, and Handel’s Semele.The reasons to go: great music, top performers, the best conductors, inventive directors, and two truly excellent performance spaces.
Budapest Opera House
Four cheers for opera
By Kevin Shopland [Budapest Sun, 24 Mar 05]
FOUR operas, more than four reasons to go. The operas: Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, Péter Eötvös's The Balcony, Wagner's Parsifal, and Handel's Semele.The reasons to go: great music, top performers, the best conductors, inventive directors, and two truly excellent performance spaces.
All four operas are being given within the framework of the Budapest Spring Festival. Lady Macbeth and Parsifal will be given at the Hungarian State Opera, one of the most opulent, beautiful and human-scaled opera houses anywhere.
The Balcony and Semele will be given in the brand new Festival Theater in the just christened Palace of Arts, a world class building that has all the critics talking.