In recent years, even decades, it has become a common practice to completely or partially stage certain oratorical works. After Messiah and Matthäus-Passion, nothing could be more suitable to continue the practice than Giuseppe Verdi's Requiem, which is claimed by many, half-seriously, but certainly aptly, to be their "favourite opera". Even though it is a funeral mass, which traditionally does not require a stage – in fact, it specifically keeps it away from itself – its drama, emotionality, and the extremity of mood nuances almost naturally demand a spectacle. It must not be forgotten that in Verdi's these works were not composed for today’s neutral concert halls, church works were placed in sacred spaces, where they could interact with the environment. Even in a traditional concert form, a performance at an opera house gives the work a new visual appearance, but if the performance creates the possibility of a more organic theatrical experience, it can also become more capable of articulating the main message of a very human fear of death more tangibly according to the director's interpretation. The performance with special visuals is created by Ádám Tulassay and his creative team.

Requiem

Hungarian State Opera

Proclaiming (notably with the popular “Hallelujah” chorus) the coming and resurrection of the Saviour, Messiah remains to this day one of the most popular of Handel’s works. A little under half a century after its 1742 world premiere in Dublin, it was performed for the first time in the revised and rescored German-language version Der Messias created by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The “German Messiah” thus is the fruit of an extraordinary “collaboration” between two geniuses: the scintillating brilliance of Händel as interpreted by Mozart.

DER MESSIAS (MESSIAH) – concert

Macbeth hears a prophecy from three strange witch-like figures that he will become king of Scotland. The news triggers a series of brutal thoughts and actions in him and even more so in his wife, Lady Macbeth. It was not by chance that Verdi chose this Shakespeare text as the basis of his opera: the title character goes through the hell of spiritual depth, doubts and ruthlessness, unearthly forces, dramatic murders, and psychic turmoil again and again. Situation and motifs that yearn for an opera stage and unfold to music. The production is staged by Matthew Wild, who is widely recognized as a leading musical theatre director of his generation in South Africa, and he is now an increasingly sought-after artist on European stages as well. His productions are praised for their intelligence, visual prowess, and musicality. The clash of (English and ancient African) cultures and their influence on each other also play an important role in his Macbeth performance, just as the earthly and mystical-transcendental worlds intertwine as sharp contrasts in the opera.

Krisztián Cser

Events

Upcoming events

2 - 15 Nov, 2024

Requiem · Hungarian State Opera

21 - 28 Dec, 2024

DER MESSIAS (MESSIAH) – concert · Hungarian State Opera

Feb 22 - Mar 9, 2025

Macbeth · Hungarian State Opera

Future and recently performed repertoire

Banquo / Doctor in Macbeth by Verdi

Hungarian State Opera

Singer in Requiem by Verdi

Hungarian State Opera

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