Tailor-made Holidays for Music Lovers from C and H Travel Ltd

Opera and Operetta Breaks in Budapest

Opera, Operetta, Ballet and Concerts

Hungarian State Opera

Hungarian State Opera House

One of the most imposing Opera Houses of its day, the Budapest Opera House opened in 1884.  Its neo-Classical and neo-Renaissance design is the work of the greatest Hungarian architect of the 19th century, Miklos Ybl.  The building was funded by the city of Budapest and Emperor Franz Josef of Austria-Hungary.  Empress Elisabeth ("Sissi") was a frequent visitor to the Hungarian Opera.  The grandiose lobby, elegant staircase and traditional horseshoe shaped auditorium are important tourist sites in themselves. 

The auditorium holds 1261 seats and is said to have the 3rd best acoustics in Europe after La Scala in Milan and the Paris Opera House.  Guest conductors have included Gustav Mahler and Otto Klemperer. 

In front of the building are two statues.  One is of Ferenc Erkel, composer of the Hungarian national anthem, and the first musical director of the Opera House.  He was also founder of the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra.  The other statue is of Franz Liszt, perhaps one of the best known Hungarian composers.  

The Opera House is also the home of the Hungarian National Ballet.

Hungarian State Opera House Repertoire for 2008 - 2009

The Opera and Operetta season in Budapest runs from September
to the end of June.

• Adam - Giselle
• Bartok - The Wooden Prince (Ballet)
• Bizet - Carmen 
• Donizetti - Don Pasquale; L'Elisir D'Amore
• Dvorak / Partay - Gone With The Wind (Ballet)
• Erkel - Bank Ban
• Fodor - Mixed Ballet Programme
• Giordano - Andre Chenier
• Janacek - Jenufa
• Kodaly -
• Mendelssohn - A Midsummer Night's Dream (Ballet)
• Mozart - Cosi Fan Tutte; Die Zauberflote; Don Giovanni;
  Le Nozze di Figaro
• Orff - Mixed Ballet Programme including Carmina Burana
• Prokofiev - Romeo and Juliet (Ballet)
• Puccini - La Boheme; Madama Butterfly; Tosca; Turandot
• Rossini - La Cenerentola (Cinderella)
• Strauss, Johann - Promenade (Ballet)
• Strauss, Ricard - Elektra
• Stravinsky - Historie du Soldat; Les Noces (Ballet); Mavra; Renard
• Tchaikovsky - Eugene Onegin; Swan Lake (Ballet)
• Vajda - Mrs Karnyo
• Verdi - Don Carlos; La Forza del Destino; La Traviata;
  Nabucco; Otello; Rigoletto
• Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg; Parsifal; Tannhauser
• Concerts by the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra, Opera Galas and programmes of mixed ballets complement the season.

The Hungarian State Opera also perform at the Erkel Theatre in Budapest.  

Budapest Operetta Theatre

Budapest Operetta Theatre

There has been a dedicated Operetta House in Budapest since 1923.  The present building was built to a design by the famous Viennese architects Fellner and Helmer in 1894.  The giant stage of the auditorium faced two levels of intimate boxes arranged in a semi-circle, and a dance floor provided a sufficiently large space for the waltz, polka, mazurka and the galop.  The splendid winter garden housed an excellent French restaurant and a concert coffee-house opened on the long street front.  Alterations were made to the building in 1966, considerably changing the interior architecture and spaces.

Full reconstruction was carried out between 1999 and 2001.  The most advanced European stage machinery was installed, the beautiful original ornamentation was restored and the earlier row of boxes in the circle were also rebuilt.  Today the theatre has 917 seats and the auditorium is air-conditioned.  The hundred year old chandelier sparkles above the auditorium.  

Today the repertoire is a mix of operetta and musicals.  Many performances have surtitles in English.  The season runs from September to July.  The full repertoire for 2008-2009 is yet to be announced.  Productions will include the following:

• Fegya - The Wedding Dance
• Huszuka - Baroness Lili (Operetta)
• Kalman - The Gypsy Princess (Operetta); Die Bayadere (Operetta)
• Lehar - The Merry Widow (Operetta)
• Levay / Kunze - Elisabeth (Musical about Empress Elisibeth); Mozart! (Musical) 
• Menken - The Beauty and the Beast (Musical)
• Presgurvic - Romeo and Juliet (Musical)
• Strauss, Johann - Die Fledermaus (Operetta)
• Wildhorn - Rudolf (Musical about the tragic relationship between Crown Prince Rudolf and Baroness Mary Vetsera) 

Concerts in Budapest

The following orchestras and ensembles perform regularly in Budapest.  Just contact us with your preferred dates and we will let you know what is available during that period.

• Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra
• Danube Symphony Orchestra
• Budapest Lehar Orchestra
• Umze Ensemble
• Hungarian State Folk Ensemble
• Budapest Gypsy Orchestra (100 members)
• Danube Folk Ensemble