Actor András Bálint opened the season's first meeting by reading a speech originally delivered by Aladár Tóth in 1934, on the 50th anniversary of the palace. The Hungarian State Opera officially started its 124th season today, though sold-out performances of the company's classic repertoire have been staged for a week.
No performances will be held at the Erkel Theatre in the 2007/2008 season, but the rehearsal rooms and the stage will remain in use. The majority of performances will be held in the opera house on Andrássy Street. In addition, there will be 41 evening shows held at the nearby Thália Theatre in Nagymező Street. The opera has rented out the building for 70 days.
Chief director Lajos Vass said it had been decided that the opera would receive state funding of HUF 5.3 billion until 2010, enabling it to implement predictable financial management. Vass said the opera had accumulated debts of HUF 1.5 billion when he took over, but this sum has been reduced to HUF 600 million by now and it will fall further to HUF 400 million by the end of the year. Work is currently underway on finalising the collective contracts for employees, modernising the holiday homes owned by the opera troupe and allocating funds for additional social benefits. At the same time, the next round of staff cuts are expected to take place in the near future. "Only those who demonstrate their dedication to their work and show a high level of professional accomplishment will stay with the opera," Vass said.
Every attempt will be made to find work at the opera and at the Thália Theatre for the staff of the Erkel Theatre, and some people will also be required to assist during rehearsals at Erkel, he added.
Musical director Ádám Fischer said he had started planning work for the next two seasons, but for this year, he had several commitments abroad. As a result, the traditional tasks of the musical director will be carried out for the most part by first conductor János Kovács, with Fischer acting as advisor. However, Kovács's professional knowledge and opinion will be asked for in the future too.
Ballet director Gábor Keveházi (Left) and singer Sándor Sólyom Nagy congratulate each other for receiving permanent memberships in the opera company at the first meeting of the season. Chief Director Lajos Vass on the right. Photo: Szilárd Koszticsák (MTI)
Ballet director Gábor Keveházi said Gone with the Wind, which premiered last year, was a huge success for the Hungarian National Ballet. The other new performance, a modern ballet, was appreciated mostly by professional audiences, he added, grinning.
It has become a tradition in the opera to hand out awards at the first meeting of the season. Keveházi and singer Sándor Sólyom-Nagy became Permanent Members of the company and were also awarded the honour of Master Performer at the ceremony. The singer Magda Rigó, costume designer Nelly Vágó and set designer Zoltán Fülöp were named Permanent Members posthumously.
A prize established by private individuals to recognise young talent was presented to oboe players Viktória Mester and Nóra Salvi, and the accompanists Orsolya Fajger and Szabolcs Brickner. Another accompanist, Irena Savelyeva, received the Pless Prize, along with chorus members György Littner, Éva Meggyesi and Árpád Szűcs. The singer János Berkes received the György Melis prize.
Balázs Kovalik and András Békés
Director András Békés, professor emeritus at the Theatre and Film Academy, welcomed artistic director Balázs Kovalik and musical director Ádám Fischer to the opera's management. He noted that, since leaving the opera in 1990, he purposefully had not expressed an opinion about new developments. However, he decided to attend the meeting to open the new season because the current situation made him very optimistic. Former opera director Miklós Szinetár praised Vass, citing his success in Szolnok as proof of his leadership talent. Fischer is a world-famous name and Kovalik is the number-one opera director in Hungary, Szinetár added. The other two members of the management, János Kovács and Gábor Keveházi, deserve recognition because they "carried the opera on their shoulders" over the past two stormy years, Szinetár said. He concluded by stating that he would leave the opera's building in Hajós Street with an easy heart, knowing that he was supporting the new developments and trusting those who were in charge of them.
