Eszterháza Opera Foundation Charter Signed

Other founding members of the foundation are Hungarian Haydn Society chairman János Malina, art historian Ferenc Dávid, theatre historian Carsten Jung, acoustics expert Edward McCue, violinist Sigiswald Kuijken, and choreographer and opera director Sigrid T'Hooft.

"You, excellent experts in the field of music, acoustics, art history, theatre, and dance, representing four countries, have decided to join forces and do something to make the defunct Eszterháza opera house and the reconstruction of Haydn's opera house an international issue. I am pleased to accept your invitation and join the initiative as a way of emphasising the importance of cooperation between the government and private sector in achieving major cultural goals," Bozóki said in his letter to the other founding members.

The charter was signed by:

András Bozóki, Culture Minister, Hungary
Ferenc Dávid, art historian, Hungary
Carsten Jung, PERSPECTIV, Germany
János Malina, Hungarian Haydn Society, Hungary
Edward McCue, Kirkegaard Associates, USA
Geert Robberechts, La Petite Bande, Belgium
Sigrid T?Hooft, choreographer and opera director, Belgium

PROPOSAL FOR THE INTERNATIONAL OPERA FOUNDATION ESZTERHÁZA

JOSEPH HAYDN AND THE WORLD OF THE ESTERHÁZY FAMILY

Hungary's and Slovakia's EU membership has understandably instilled an atmosphere of openness and new initiatives in the Vienna-Kismarton-Eszterháza (Fertőd)-Bratislava region, Joseph Haydn's former cultural universe. Haydn spent the greater part of his active career in this rather limited geographic area, and it was from here that his fame gradually spread to the rest of the world, within his lifetime (1732-1809). Today, Haydn is regarded as one of the definitive personalities in the history of Western music.

Haydn was born in Rohrau, not far from Vienna and Bratislava. He served the influential and rich Esterházy princes - who maintained a number of residences, in Vienna, Kismarton, Köpcsény (close to Bratislava) and other locations - from 1761 until his death.

In 1781, Prince Miklós Esterházy the "Pompous" (1714-1790) had a new, fully-equipped opera house built at the site of an earlier theatre which had burned down. This new facility accommodated Haydn's activities as an opera composer and, even more so, as an artist adapting and presenting other composers' works, for a decade. Haydn fitted the musical pieces to the acoustic and stage specifics of this theatre with such care that he probably did not only refer to his own operas but all the other performances as well when writing the following in one of his letters: "The same impact is impossible to achieve anywhere else."

Unfortunately, the Eszterháza opera house was destroyed in the 19th century, leaving a gap in the original symmetry of the way the buildings and the park were arranged. Yet this lingering lack of harmony has led to a daring initiative.

In 2003, the Hungarian Haydn Society and the State Monument Supervision arranged a symposium on the Eszterháza opera house. The symposium clarified that the structure of the 1781 building is so well documented that reconstruction is seriously worth considering.

INTERNATIONAL OPERA FOUNDATION ESZTERHÁZA OBJECTIVES

An initiative was set up in August 2005 to create the International Opera Foundation Eszterháza with the following objectives:

To reconstruct the 1781 Eszterháza opera house in its original form, with special attention to acoustics and stage machinery, with a view to turning the theatre into a centre where the world of 18th century opera may be presented in a way which reflects the original.

To revive the Eszterháza opera repertoire, counting nearly 100 pieces, including works by Haydn and other composers that are currently seldom performed or not performed at all.

To establish an international opera academy to study the various aspects of 18th century (and even earlier) opera performances, and to pass the results of this research to singers, directors, designers, and experts with the aim of supporting high quality opera performances true to their original performances in Eszterháza and elsewhere.

The following arguments support these three objectives:

WHY RECONSTRUCT THE 1781 OPERA HOUSE?

Performances on period instruments have become a great success over the past few decades. Strangely, there has been no parallel in the world of opera. Because auditory and visual elements contribute in equal part to an authentic reproduction of a period opera performance, staging an old opera in a truly authentic fashion requires a theatre building and a stage mimicking the original, just as it requires period musical instruments, period singing techniques, gestures, and dance.

Unfortunately, very few opera houses have remained in their original form since Haydn's day. As a result, the organisations in charge of maintaining the theatres retaining original stage technologies - in locations such as Drottningholm, Český Krumlov, Ludwigsburg, and Versailles - are reluctant to expose their precious buildings to the wear and tear of daily use, rehearsals, and shows. Nevertheless, a precise copy of an 18th century opera house - presuming that it authentically reproduces the original acoustics and stage parameters - may equally well accommodate an authentic period opera, just as an exact copy of a period musical instrument may echo the original rather well. The experts participating in the 2003 symposium agreed that the architectural documentation of the 1781 Eszterháza opera house is remarkably complete. Consequently, a careful reconstruction might fool even one of the original visitors to the opera. Although we know less about the specific stage machinery than the original building, there is sufficient information to guide the construction of an "ideal" stage in Eszterháza to perfectly match Haydn repertoire demands.

WHY REVIVE THE ESZTERHÁZA OPERA REPERTOIRE?

Prince Miklós allowed equal access to peasants, servants, and nobles - virtually everyone - to see the opera house performances. These Italian-language performances combined the various art forms - poetry, painting, music, and dance - into a single show attracting all social classes. Furthermore, the Eszterháza population was Hungarian, the court language was German, most musicians were Austrian or Czech, and most singers were Italian. Under Haydn's guidance, this multilingual community perfected an art form that expressed the desires of people representing the entire social spectrum.

This is why the former Eszterháza microcosm might be regarded as a forerunner of today's European community. From this perspective, every Haydn opera performance to be given in the reconstructed Eszterháza opera house will underline Europeans' common, collective, and cooperative cultural heritage over several hundred years.

WHY ESTABLISH AN INTERNATIONAL OPERA ACADEMY?

The reconstruction of the 1781 opera house is also a prerequisite for establishing an integrated opera academy. An education centre teaching all aspects of 18th century opera performances will be the core element of the international opera academy. A functional copy of 18th century theatre, the education facility will offer courses for musicians, conductors, singers, dancers, choreographers, directors, stage and costume designers, and lighting and stage professionals. The shows performed by the international opera academy in Eszterháza will cater to the existing European demand for teaching period opera and for authentic performances.

There are also plans for the international opera academy to include a research centre where researchers from across the globe will be able to meet and share their work.

Cooperation between the international opera academy and the universities and conservatories in the area (Vienna, Kismarton, Bratislava, Győr, Sopron) might serve as an excellent opportunity for matching theory with practice.